


Guess Who's Having a Baby

by DanandPhilFanfictionWriter



Series: Dan, Phil, and Baby [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2014, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnant Dan Howell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanandPhilFanfictionWriter/pseuds/DanandPhilFanfictionWriter
Summary: Dan knew he was a carrier, but he never thought one day he’d be pregnant with his and Phil’s child.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: Dan, Phil, and Baby [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616518
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in 2014 and the beginning of 2015

_2010_

Dan felt like he was in a dream, a dream he desperately hoped he would wake up from. What had started out as a normal check-up with his GP ended with the shock of his life. He had been seeing Dr. Watson for years. This was the first appointment Karen had let Dan go on his own. He was torn between thankful she was there and wishing she was.

“How is it possible that I’m a carrier? What does it mean, exactly?” Dan asked.

“A carrier is a male who can, for the lack of a better term, get pregnant, and have a baby. Now, this only happens when two males are involved. It means that you have the possibility of getting pregnant if you engage in sex with another male.”

Dan felt like his world had been flipped upside down. This was the last thing he ever expected to happen to him. What was he going to tell his Mum? His Dad? What about Grandma and Popsie? And……oh God, what is Phil going to say?

“But there are precautions,” Dr. Watson explained. Dan listened as he explained birth control designed especially for carriers. “I don’t know what your um………”

“Sexual preference,” Dan supplied. “I think to be safe I’ll go on the birth control.”

To Dr. Watson’s credit, he merely nodded writing the script. “If you do have a partner or boyfriend, I would tell him about this. So if it does happen, it won’t be such a surprise.”

Dan nodded taking the slip from Dr. Watson.

Leaving the clinic, Dan sat in the driver’s seat of the crappy car that was his, trying to collect the million and one thoughts in his head. When he felt calmer, he drove to the pharmacy. While waiting for the prescription to be filled, he walked around the store. He found himself at the baby aisle, looking at pregnancy tests. There was, to Dan’s surprise, ones for carriers. He walked away quickly, heading to the isle where he would get some things he needed.

He picked up his prescription and went home.

It wasn’t until Adrian had left the table that Dan brought up what the doctor said.

“Have you heard of a carrier?” Dan asked his parents.

The fork that was in his mother’s hand dropped onto the plate, making a loud clattering sound.

“Oh honey, I was hoping you wouldn’t get it,” Karen murmured.

“What are you on about, Karen?” Jim asked. “What’s going on?”

“The doctor said I have a carrier gene,” Dan explained. “Which means……..”

“Which means that he can get pregnant,” Karen finished. “He gets it from my family. Oh, Daniel, I’m so sorry.”

Karen went on to explain what it is to her husband, Dan nodding along as it was the same explanation he had been given from Dr. Watson. His father was silent as Karen talked, but when she finished he merely shrugged, commenting, ‘I don’t think we have something to worry about.’

Dan excused himself from the table. Getting to his room, he closed the door and sat down on his bed, pulling his laptop to his lap. He needed to tell Phil.

Opening Skype he saw that Phil was online. He waited for Phil to accept the call and then in an instant, Phil’s face was on the screen.

“Hey, how did your appointment go?” Phil asked.

“Fine,” Dan replied. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?” Phil inquired, leaning forward.

“I’m a carrier,” Dan blurted out.

Phil was silent on the other end, staring at Dan with his mouth agape. “A what?” He asked.

“Means I can get pregnant,” Dan explained, then going on to explain he’s on birth control. “If you want to…….”

“Don’t,” Phil interrupted. “Don’t say that. I love you, despite you being a carrier. I still love you and I want to be with you.”

“Are you sure?” Dan asked.

“I’m sure, and if one day you do get pregnant, we’ll be the best parents there is,” Phil said, smiling at the end.

Dan released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thanks, Phil. Thought, what if it doesn’t happen?”

“Then we’ll adopt,” Phil replied, smiling softly. “As long as I’m with you.”

Dan smiled for the first time since he found out he was a carrier. “Love you,” He said.

Phil returned the smile, replying, “I love you too. “

_April 2014_

Phil kept stealing glances at Dan from the other side of the bed. He was on the left side, his side of the bed, and had been since they started sleeping together. Dan was reading a book

“Quit looking at me like that, you creep,” Dan said.

“Like what?” Phil asked.

“Like you’re about pounce on me,” Dan replied.

Phil curled up against Dan, his head going to his shoulder, his arm around his middle, hands going towards the waistband of his joggers. Dan grabbed his hand to stop him from going further.

“Phil, I’m tired, I’m not in the mood,” Dan groaned.

“Please,” Phil begged. “It’s been _ages_. We’ve haven’t done anything in this bed besides sleep for _months._ ”

Giving up reading, Dan marked his place, tossing the book on the nightstand on his side.

“Phil, have you seen our schedule? I mean I’ve even _scheduled_ time for sex and when we get to it, it’s either I’m so tired I can’t keep my eyes open or your already asleep.”

“Daniel, do you know how many cold showers I’ve had in the last three months?” Phil inquired. “I’ve lost count.”

Dan sorted. “If I recall, I’ve tried to get you to do something the other week when we were at the BBC.”

“And remember that time when we were late for the Chart Show? Jameela was mad at us for weeks following that!” Phil reminded Dan.

“That wasn’t my fault,” Dan defended himself.

Phil straddled Dan’s waist, hooking his hands around his neck. Phil was the only person with the privilege to touch Dan’s neck.

“Please, you know I’m not above, begging,” Phil whispered.

Dan sighed. “Can I just lay here?” 

“Yes!” Phil began kissing down Dan’s neck. “I knew I’d make you cave.”

Dan sighed. “Oh shut up and get on with it!” He raised his arms up to allow Phil to pull off his shirt. He tossed the shirt over his shoulder.

“Did you take your pill?” Phil asked as he began to kiss trails of kisses down towards Dan’s stomach.

“Yeah,” Dan breathed when Phil sucked on the skin under his belly button. “I did.”

The only problem was Dan wasn’t sure.

By now Phil had stripped off Dan’s shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxers. He paused before he pulled them off.

“Ready?”

Dan nodded. “Ready,” he verbalized.

How little did either of them know that their life was about to change?

_May 2014_

Dan rushed into the restroom at the BBC headquarters, slamming into the stall, locking it behind him. No sooner then he turned around to face the toilet, he bent over, head hovering over the toilet and vomited. He had been sitting next to Phil waiting for the monthly meeting with the other BBC Radio 1 DJs to start when he began to feel really nauseous. He told Phil he was going to the restroom and rushed out of the room before he vomited, though not for the first time, in front of his co-workers.

As he heaved, he heard some other people in the restroom leave. When he stopped he heard Chris Stark ask, “Dan, are you okay?”

Feeling like he wasn’t done, Dan replied with an 'Uh-huh.”

Grimmy came out of the stall, approaching the sink. “So, how was the date with Rachel?” He asked, Chris.

“Raquel,” Chris corrected.

“Who?” Dan asked before he heaved over the toilet.

“She’s a receptionist in the main lobby. The date went well, but I don’t think there’s going to be a second,” Chris said, answering both questions.

Dan sighed, waiting to see if he was going to throw up again.

“Do you want me to get Phil?” Grimmy asked.

“I’m done,” Dan said, standing up and flushing the toilet.

When he opened the door, Chris was the only one in the restroom.

“You look lousy, Dan, are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, as Dan washed his hands and rinsed his mouth out.

“I think I’ve got the stomach flu from someone, either here or when we went to Google for the last YouTube meeting,” Dan explained, getting paper towels to dry off his hands and mouth.

“Well, it must be from Google because no one here’s been sick,” Chris said, over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

Dan checked his appearance in the mirror, making sure he didn’t look like ‘I just threw up’ and left the bathroom.

Phil was standing outside waiting on him. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m okay right now, I think I’ve caught a stomach bug from someone,” Dan informed him.

“Maybe it was Dean. Jack said he was sick when we had that meeting,” Phil told his boyfriend.

Dan stopped hand on the knob to open the door to enter the conference room. “Remind me to kill him next time I see him,” he said, with no humor.

“Noted,” Phil replied.

Dan opened the door and they returned to their seats. Phil handed Dan a bottle of water from the refreshment table and sat down beside him.

“Are you alright Dan?” Aled from The Surgery asked.

“I’m fine, I think I’m coming down with something, but otherwise I’m fine,” Dan answered.

Dr. Radha was sitting beside Aled. She leaned over. “You look like you’re not feeling well.”

“I just upchucked in the restroom,” Dan explained, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Sounds like a stomach bug to me,” Looking at Phil, she added, “Make sure he drinks a lot of water to keep from dehydrating.”

Phil nodded.

When the meeting was over, Alistair asked to speak with Dan and Phil to check in with them on the preparations for Sunday’s show.

“First and foremost,” He said when they entered his office. “Are you alright, Dan?”

Dan nodded. “I’ll be fine by Sunday.”

Alistair nodded. “Alright, so tell me what you’ve got so far.”

Phil launched into telling him the ideas he and Dan had come up with the show. Dan chimed in here and there, but it was mainly Phil who planned the show for the week.

“Good,” Alistair said when Phil finished and added they had already begun the next Sunday’s show. “We’ll meet one day next week and discuss the next month’s worth of shows. Bring what you have planned for then as well. There’s something else I want to talk to you about but it can wait until next week. We’re beginning to discuss the fall lineup and we want to make a small change to your show.”

“Okay, can you tell us what?” Phil asked.

“Moving it to Monday and that’s all I can say right now, we’ll discuss this in more detail next week, but right now, Phil I think you need to get him home,” Alistair said, pointing to the spot Dan was standing in a moment ago.

“Where did he……..” Phil trailed off. “We’ll see you next week.”

Leaving the office, he passed Victoria, the other producer for the show. She pointed to the men’s restroom.

“Thanks,” he said, heading to the door of the men’s restroom, pushing the door open. “Dan?”

“Yeah,” Dan groaned.

“Do we need to go to A&E?”

“No, I think I’m about…….” Dan trailed off. Retching followed.

“I don’t think this is a stomach bug. You’ve been getting sick for weeks.”

“It comes and goes, Phil,” Dan groaned.

When Dan finally left the stall, he approached the sink to wash his hands. He used the remaining water from the bottle he had to rinse his mouth out.

“I do know one thing, you’re going to the doctor if you’re not better in a few days,” Phil told him in a tone that might he wasn’t joking.

“I’ll go,” Dan deadpanned. “Because I don’t think I can………hold that thought.”

And Dan turned around to vomit again in the toilet.

How little did Phil know what the route his life is about to take?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A few days later, Dan seemed to be better. He and Phil went out with Bryony and Wirrow for lunch. Dan’s sickness from earlier in the week was a thing of the past now, but Phil noticed a few other things going on with his boyfriend. Dan had been unusually cranky. He would snap at the least little thing. He also noticed that Dan seemed to be eating more. Pushing it off to just Dan being really hungry, he thought nothing about it.

“Is Dan okay?” Bryony whispered when she and Phil went to get drink refills.

“He’s been a little extra crabby, but……”

“That’s not what I mean,” Bryony interjected. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dan eat so much in one sitting in the time I’ve known him.”

Phil shrugged. “I’ve noticed that too, but I think it’s more him being hungry more. He has periods like this where he eats more.”

When they returned to the table, Wirrow was telling Dan about one of his projects. Phil spent the rest of the day watching Dan, noticing not only how much Dan ate, but how quickly it was gone.

After Dan and Phil left the restaurant, Phil asked Dan about when he was leaving to head to Wokingham for a planned visit with his family.

“Saturday,” Dan replied. “I’m staying with Grandma and Popsie since Mum is having some work done at the house.”

Phil nodded. They stopped to get ice cream on the way home as Phil was in the mood for some and Dan usually followed his lead.

When they were about a block away from the flat, Phil had his cone left while Dan had finished his.

“Did you seriously eat all that already?” He blurted

Dan looked at him, slightly confused. “Yeah, I just don’t do like you do and act like it’s my last time having some or it’s going to be my last meal.”

Phil finished his ice cream when they reached the front door of their building, walking in when Dan opened the door.

“Just noticing you’ve been eating a lot more lately,” Phil asked.

“I’ve just been a little hungrier lately, is something wrong with that?” Dan demanded.

“No,” Phil answered, quickly. “Not at all.”

Although Phil was thinking in his mind that he was going to get Dan to the doctor if this didn’t go away. Surely this wasn’t normal, was it?

If Phil only knew what was about to happen?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Veronica sat down the platter of eggs beside the sausages and tomatoes. She had spent years making a full English breakfast over the years she had mastered it. She would make some hash browns to replace the black pudding that no one in her family ate. Occasionally, she’d make pancakes, like this morning.

“Where’s the bacon?” Martin asked, entering the kitchen.

“Dr. Harper told you to get your cholesterol down, you’re lucky I even made the sausage or fried the eggs,” She retorted.

Martin walked to the coffee pot, grumbling.

“Dad is in a cheerful mood,” Karen commented when Martin left to fetch the morning paper.

“I’ve been trying to slowly cut things out to lower his cholesterol and as you can see……..” Veronica trailed off.

“I know Mum,” She said, squeezing her mother’s shoulder. “Is Dan up yet?”

“Yes, I forget he was here. I nearly collided with him when I came into the kitchen. He had the coffee ready and was heading back to his room for something.”

Veronica checked to see where her grandson was before she leaned forward and whispered.

“Does he look like he’s put on weight to you?”

Karen paused, thinking. She nodded. “A little,” she admitted.

“I think it’s a good thing, he’s too skinny for a boy his size,” Veronica said. Karen cleared her throat pointedly when Dan came back into the kitchen.

“Tell Popsie we’re ready to eat,” She asked Dan.

“I heard you, Vernie,” Martin grumbled. To Dan, he said, “I think she thinks I’m deaf.”

When they were sitting down at the table, Veronica asked Karen about the renovations. She answered, saying that everything was going well. When she was done she would have an updated kitchen and bathrooms, adding value to the house if and when she decides to sell it.

“How are things in London?” Veronica asked Dan.

Dan filled them in on a few projects he and Phil were working on both with YouTube and Radio 1. He told them about the news that the radio show was moving to Monday and in the next meeting they were going to go over the finer details of the change.

Karen asked about Phil was. Veronica mentioned, again, that Dan should have brought him with him.

“I will next time, he had something he needed to do this weekend with his brother,” Dan replied.

Martin never really spoke unless it was asking to ‘pass the eggs’ or ‘hand me the butter.’ He listened to the conversation around him, only making a comment here or there or correcting Veronica if she had gotten something wrong.

“Oh, I was going to tell you,” Veronica began. “I spoke with Auntie Rose. She was telling me that her son Vector’s little boy is expecting.”

“Oh is he?” Karen asked. “How is he is doing?”

As Karen and Veronica talked about the pregnancy and the pending grandchild for Veronica’s nephew, Dan realized with a jolt that that could happen to him.

Then like a bolt of lightning, he realized he might be pregnant. The symptoms were all there and accounted for.

“You’re on the pill right, dear?” Veronica asked.

Veronica’s question brought Dan back to reality. Immediately, he nodded and swallowed the egg he had just put in his mouth.

“Yeah, every day as a matter of fact,” He answered. ‘ _When I remember to take it_ ,’ he thought.

“Oh, good,” Karen commented before returning to a conversation with Veronica.

It’s not until Dan is on the train back to London that he realizes………

“Oh s***, I might be pregnant!”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

“Hey Phil, I need to run out to the shop, do you need anything?” Dan called from the lounge. Phil was in the bedroom, getting ready to shoot a video.

“I’ll text you a list,” Phil replied.

“Okay, I’ll be back,” Dan said, as he walked down the stairs to the door. Going outside was usually a dreaded task, but today there was a purpose.

Dan didn’t just need to go to Boots because he was out of body wash and deodorant, and they needed some paracetamol, stomach soothers, and wind settlers. He also needed to pick up a pregnancy test.

Deciding to walk, Dan headed towards the Boots that was closest to where they lived. They had frequented it so often, especially when one was sick. The only time they had purchased medication from Tesco was when one of them got sick in the middle of the night. Dan often wondered if the employees recognize them, not from YouTube, but from being frequent customers.

Entering the store, Dan went about his business picking up the items had come in for first, checking his phone for the list Phil sent him, picking up what he asked for.

He paused when he saw he had collected everything he needed along with what Phil had told him to pick up. He looked around as he headed to the aisle where pregnancy tests were found. He kept looking around for fans and people he knew so he would avoid the inevitable questions about why he was looking at pregnancy tests.

He also didn’t want this all over the internet. Only close friends knew he was a carrier. No one at the BBC knew or YouTube knew. He especially didn’t want Phil to find out by seeing a picture of him looking at pregnancy tests on the internet.

That was when Dan realized he didn’t know how to tell Phil if the test was positive.

Looking over the selection, Dan found a few for carriers, a lot more then when he was looking at them the day in the pharmacy when he found out he was a carrier a few years ago. Selecting two, he put them in his basket, hiding them under a pack of tampons and pads he and Phil kept in their bathroom for female guests. PJ’s girlfriend, Sophie, used the last of the pads when they last visited a week ago.

Checking out at the till Dan could feel himself sweating. Luckily there were no issues. The clerk didn’t question it when she rung up the pregnancy tests.

Leaving the store, Dan began thinking of ways to tell Phil if the tests came back positive. But if it was negative………He wasn’t going to say a word.

Phil was still filming when Dan came back home. He put up the shopping, collecting the pregnancy tests when he finished. He peaked in on Phil to let him know he was back.

With Phil occupied, Dan collected the pregnancy tests and headed to the toilet. He sat down on the closed lid to read over the instructions. Sighing, he opened one box to do the tests.

Five minutes later, Dan was pacing the bathroom, waiting on the timer on his phone to go off. He had put it on silent to keep Phil from hearing the ding. He decided to do both tests to make sure and even then, he would make an appointment with his doctor.

He sees a doctor who specializes in carriers once a year to make sure everything was fine and to renew his prescription for birth control. Of course, he sometimes forgot to take it and he knew when he forgot to take it he and Phil were…….active.

The timer went to zero and Dan froze. He was suddenly afraid to look.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up one of the tests.

_Positive_

“Oh no,” Dan whispered, putting down one test and picking up the other.

_Positive_

With his free hand, Dan covered his mouth, closing his eyes.

“What am I going to do?” Dan whispered.

He knew he would have to make an appointment with his doctor. He would tell Dan if the tests were accurate or not and confirm if he was pregnant. In the meantime, he wouldn’t say a word to Phil. The last thing Dan wanted to do was to tell Phil he was pregnant, only to turn around and tell him ‘false alarm’.

But first Dan’s first order of business: make an appointment with Dr. Vick. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

In the waiting room, Dan found himself surrounded by pregnant men. They each varied from stages of pregnancy. Some were alone, others had their partners.

Dr. Vick stepped out from the door leading to the exam rooms, holding the door for a pregnant male.

“See you next week. Call me if you have any early signs of labor. Have a good day.” 

When the man and his partner left, Dr. Vick looked down at the file under his arm.

“Daniel Howell.”

Dan sighed silently. He stood up, following the doctor to an exam room. A nurse was waiting in the room.

“So, what brings you in today, Dan? Any changes?” Dr. Vick asked.

“I think I might be pregnant,” Dan replied, before going on to list his symptoms. Dr. Vick nodded as he spoke while the nurse wrote down the information. “I also took two pregnancy tests. They were positive.”

“The ones for carriers?” Dr. Vick asked. Dan nodded. “They’re pretty accurate, but we’ll do a blood test. If you are pregnant, then we’ll proceed with an examination, check and see how far along you are.”

Dan followed the nurse to the lab where they draw blood. The nurse was the same one Dan had plenty of times before. Because of this, she knew which arm worked and where to stick the needle.

“You’re going to feel a little pinch,” She warned and poked the needle through the skin. She watched the blood come into the vial and when it was enough she unscrewed the vial from the tube and gently pressed a cotton wad to the site adding pressure as she slowly pulled out the needle.

“Alright, Sweetie, you’re done.”

She led Dan back to the exam room, telling him she would let Dr. Vick know he’s done. She explained that he should get the results back in an hour.

Dan sighed when he was alone. He had an hour with his thoughts. Could he be pregnant? What was he going to do? How was he going to tell people? What was he going to tell his family? And most importantly, how was Phil going to react? Thankfully he knew about Dan being a carrier. They took, or he thought they did, the necessary precautions. They had talked about kids and had decided to wait a few years. Maybe the timing of this wasn’t that grand but what was Dan supposed to do?

Looking down at his stomach, Dan wondered if there was a baby in there. Half him, half Phil. He decided that if the tests came back positive he would be happy. The idea of a child with Phil’s eyes and his hair popped into his head. He had to keep from awing out loud.

Dan didn’t realize it had been a little over an hour until there was a knock on the door and Dr. Vick came in.

“Well,” He began. “The blood test confirmed you’re pregnant.”

Instantly, Dan felt a mix of emotions. Happiness, excitement, nervous, scared, and wishing for the hundredth time that he had brought Phil.

“So it’s positive?” Dan asked.

Dr. Vick nodded. “Now, let’s find out how far along you are.”

Dan laid back on the padded table, pulling up his shirt. If he didn’t know any better it was just a normal exam he has with Dr. Vick once a year. But when Dr. Vick’s hands pressed on his lower abdomen, he knew this wasn’t the case. He was pregnant.

“You’re about eight weeks pregnant,” He said, removing his hands from Dan’s stomach.

Sitting up, Dan blurted, “How? How can I be eight weeks………” Then it dawned on Dan when and how he got pregnant. “So what now?”

“We’ll do an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay and schedule a time for you to come back in about a month,” Dr. Vick explained.

Dr. Vick went on to explain what Dan could expect in the coming weeks when do call him or head to A&E.

When Dr. Vick left the room for a final time, Dan sat there on the padded table, in complete shock. Looking down at his stomach he slowly raised his hand to lie under his belly button where he knew his and Phil’s child was nestled.

He felt like he was in a dream. Was this real? Was this a dream?

It wasn’t. It was real and now, he needed to come up with a way to tell Phil.

“I guess it wasn’t a stomach bug after all,” Dan murmured to himself.

The nurse from earlier came and got him, leading him to a room where a machine he recognized as an ultrasound machine was positioned against the wall with a bed beside it.

“Now, the NHS usually only does two ultrasounds, the first one between 8 to 14 weeks, and again around 18 to 21 weeks, but in the case of carriers, we do them more frequently to check the health of the baby, which the NHS makes an exception,” The technician explained. “You’ll have them done here, at the hospital, or you may use a private clinic.”

She paused to let the information sink in before asking, “Do you have any questions?”

Dan shook his head. “Okay, lie back and roll the top up, please. I’ll give you towels to keep the gel from getting on your clothes.”

Turning to lay straight back, Dan laid down on the bed, pulling up his shirt in the process. He took the towel from the technician, tucking it into his jeans.

“This will be a little cold,” She warned. 

A little cold was a bit of understatement. Dan tried not to jump at the sudden cold, instead focused on the transducer when it was applied to his abdomen.

“Sorry about the pressure. With Carriers, we only can view the womb by abdominal ultrasound. In the early days, we need to apply a bit of pressure to view accurately.”

“It's fine,” Dan said, even when it moved. He watched the transducer move under his belly button until the technician said, “There it is.”

Dan looked up at the screen and even though all it was a little black blob, he knew that little black blob was his and Phil’s child. Their child.

When he was leaving the office twenty minutes later, sonogram in hand, he realized he has to tell

Phil. Just how was he going to do it?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

All the way home, Dan thought of how he could tell Phil that they were going to have a baby. He and Phil had talked about having a baby, but that was supposed to be years from now. Not when they were going to be busy with their career. Speaking of their career, they would need to tell the BBC about Dan’s pregnancy…….and the fans.

Dan already got comments about his weight, so he would need to address it before he got comments on why was his stomach getting bigger.

Thankfully, there was a law that was in place a few years ago that allowed carriers protection. They wouldn’t be discriminated against by losing their job or refusing service. Public opinions, however, were different. Dan knew he would probably hear comments about how unnatural it was, but what could he do about it?

Arriving at his and Phil’s flat he climbed the stairs, thinking about how he was going to tell Phil he was pregnant. He opened the door to his and Phil’s apartment.

“Phil? Where are you?” Dan called.

“Lounge,” Phil replied.

Taking a deep breath, he walked into the lounge. Phil was sitting on the couch, typing on his MacBook, listening to a show on the television.

“Hi,” He greeted.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Dan began.

Phil paused for a second before saving his document and turned off the television. “You sound serious. Is something wrong?”

“Not really,” Dan replied. “Remember when I told you I was a carrier?” 

Phil nodded. 

“Remember that night in early April when you had your way with me?” Dan asked.

Smirking, Phil nodded. “I do, what does……..” Phil trailed off as his jaw dropped. “Dan…….are you saying……..”

“I’m pregnant. Eight weeks.”

In an instant, Phil was up off the couch, pulling Dan in an embrace. “Are you for real?” He asked, voice wavering.

Dan pulled out a copy of the sonogram. “Here,” He said, handing it to Phil.

Phil took it, sitting down heavily on the sofa. It was definitely a baby.

“Dan,” Phil croaked. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Dan replied. “We need to tell Alistair and Victoria, but we’ll need to wait another six weeks. The risk of miscarrying lowers than.”

“We’ll wait and tell people then,” Phil decided. He reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s stomach. “I can’t believe there’s a baby in there.”

They sat in silence for a moment until Dan whispered, “I’m scared.”

“It’s okay,” Phil soothed, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend. “I’m scared too.”

“Phil.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re going to have a baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The information the technician tells Dan came directly from the NHS website. Except, of course, the part about Carriers.
> 
> Secondly, this is the work of fiction and some names are made up, even though we know some names. This is my first attempt at an Mpreg fic for this fandom. Hope you enjoy. Don't read if this isn't your cup of tea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six weeks have passed. Now it’s time to announce Dan’s pregnancy to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same warning as before. Don't Read if this isn't your cup of tea!

Six weeks had passed since Dan found out he was pregnant. Phil, the saint of a man, had been so extra caring. He catered to Dan’s every wish regardless if it was ice cream at two in the morning or a foot massage. Dan noticed Phil found an excuse to touch his stomach. He would lay his hand on Dan’s lower abdomen, leaving it there. Dan didn’t complain. Instead, he laughed at him.

“It’s too early to feel the baby move, Philly,” Dan said.

There were times where the news would hit them that Dan was pregnant. They were going to have a baby. One of those times happened on the radio show. It was Wimbledon. The boys were discussing it on the radio show. During one of the songs, Dan had gotten a hold of the ball, playing with it until he slipped it under his shirt. Then when Phil reached over to place his hand on the ‘bump’, rubbing it, it was a reminder that this would be a reality in a short while.

“It’s hard to believe you’ll have a bump like that soon,” Phil commented when they were in the safety of their own flat.

“I know.”

Phil had also been so tender and loving when Dan had morning sickness, which seemed to be all the time, not just in the morning. Phil even asked the doctor why it is called morning sickness.

“It is called morning sickness because the symptoms are more likely to occur early in the day, but they can occur at any time. Now, there is medication I can prescribe if it’s severe, but it seems that in your case it isn’t,” Dr. Vick explained.

Dr. Vick knew Dan and Phil were YouTubers. He had cautioned Dan on being careful. Following filming the Dan the Dinosaur vs. Phil the Lion: The Extinction Race, Dan had made a precautionary appointment with Dr. Vick. After explaining what had happened during filming, Dr. Vick went on to examine Dan to confirm that everything was alright. 

They even did another ultrasound to really make sure everything. Dr. Vick explained the reason he was ordering one was that even though under his hands everything felt great, it was more to reassure the so-to-be-parents that everything was fine.

Phil sat in the chair beside the bed, in awe, his eyes never leaving the screen the moment the technician said she had found the baby. Blindly, he reached for Dan’s hand as the technician showed them the features that were starting to show up.

The highlight of this visit was they heard the baby’s heartbeat. Phil had pulled out his phone to record it.

No one knew about the pregnancy yet.

Dan was now fourteen weeks pregnant. They had scheduled a Skype call with Nigel and Kathryn to tell them. Phil could imagine his parents' reactions. Kathryn would cry. Nigel would smile with pure joy in his eyes. He had told his parents that Dan was a carrier when things started getting serious between them. They did, to Dan’s immediate relief, say that if they did end up pregnant, they would be happy.

“Who wouldn’t be happy about a baby?” Kathryn had said.

Telling Dan’s family was going to more in person since they were only an hour train away. To go to Phil’s parents, they would need to take a plane or two to get to the Isle of Man.

It was one afternoon in late July that Phil was preparing to tell his parents the news they were going to be grandparents.

“Phil?”

“What is it, Dan?” Phil called back.

“When are we going to tell the fans? Or rather how are we going to tell the fans?” Dan questioned as he entered the lounge.

“Once our family knows, we’ll tell them,” Phil decided. “I have to admit I’ve gotten some video ideas based on pregnancy.”

Dan glanced at Phil, giving him one of his looks. “You’re not the one pregnant.”

“I know, but I thought I could do them from the partner’s perspective,” Phil explained.

“Alright.”

The ring tone sounded, signaling that Phil’s parents, well his Mum, was calling. Phil reached over, selecting to accept the call.

“Hello Mum,” Phil said, making Dan stifle a giggle. Phil always adapted his Northern accent when he was talking to his parents. 

“Hello Child,” Kathryn greeted. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Phil replied. “Is Dad around? Dan and I have some news for you.”

If Kathryn was surprised, she didn’t show it. “Nigel, can you come here for a moment. Phil’s on Skype,” she called.

They made small talk while they waited for Nigel to join them. Phil noticed that Dan had rejoined them, as he had left the room to go to the bathroom.

“Hello Son, so what’s the news, is it good news?” Nigel asked.

“It’s good news,” Phil assured him. “Dan’s here too.”

“Hi,” Dan greeted.

“Hello love,” Kathryn greeted. “Alright, out with it. What’s the news?”

“Remember when I told you that Dan is a carrier?” Phil asked.

“Yes,” Kathryn replied, slowly as Nigel smiled, knowingly. He knew where this was going. Then it clicked with Kathryn. She gasped.

“Phil, are you telling us that……” Kathryn trailed off.

“I’m pregnant,” Dan finished. “I’m due in January.”

Kathryn and Nigel seemed to be frozen until Nigel started laughing and Kathryn gasped.

“Really?” She asked, voice cracking. Phil knew it wasn’t the connection.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there’s something for you to listen to,” Phil said, as he sent a text to Kathryn with the baby’s heartbeat. “I sent it to you. Do your phone on you?”

“Yes,” Kathryn replied, as she picked up her phone. She fiddled with it until she heard the sound of the baby’s heart beating that Phil sent her.

Phil could see the tears forming in Kathryn’s eyes. Her phone dinged again.

“I just sent you a picture of the sonogram,” Phil said.

Kathryn must have closed out the text with the heartbeat as it was no longer playing.

“Aw, look at that Nigel,” Kathryn said, as she turned her phone to her husband. “This is the best news I’ve ever gotten, outside of finding out we were going to have your brother and you.”

They talked for a bit more, assuring Kathryn both Dan and the baby were fine. He would keep her updated. They were the first of their family to know they were going to have a baby.

“Keep us updated. We’ll need to visit London soon,” Kathryn said as they ended the call.

When they hung up, Phil sighed. “Well, that’s my parents done. I’ll call Martyn and see if he and Cornelia can come over.”

“Then that would be your family done,” Dan said.

Martyn and Cornelia came over an hour later. Phil had an idea of how he was going to tell his brother. He ran the idea by Dan. He agreed.

“So, what is so important that we had to come over?” Cornelia asked.

“Well,” Phil began. “Dan and I had some news to share with you.”

“What is it?” Martyn asked.

Phil looked over at Dan who smiled and nodded. Phil smiled back and turned to his brother.

“Well, how would you like to be Uncle Martyn?” Phil asked.

Cornelia gasped, cupping her hands to mouth. Wide-eyed, she turned to Dan. She and Martyn knew, along with Kathryn and Nigel that Dan was a carrier. 

“Are you pregnant?” She asked.

“Yes,” Dan replied.

Cornelia screamed she jumped up hugging Phil first then Dan while Martyn stood there stunned. Realizing what happened he began to laugh. He hugged his brother and then Dan.

“Uncle Martyn,” Cornelia said. “How does that feel?”

“How does Aunt Corn feel?” Martyn retorted.

“Good,” She replied.

They were awed by the sonograms and the sound of the heartbeat. Phil told them about telling Nigel and Kathryn, making Cornelia aw when Phil confirmed that Kathryn had cried. When Martyn and Phil headed to the kitchen to fix drinks for everyone, Cornelia stayed in the lounge with Dan.

“How are you feeling?”

“Morning sickness is what some lair called it. It comes on randomly. I’ve lost count of the amount of time I’ve spent near a toilet. When I’m not sick, I’m hungry. We’ve had to order from Tesco twice in a week.” Dan moved to a more comfortable spot on the couch, leaning back against the pillows. “But Dr. Vick said at the last appointment that everything was fine. I’m past the high risk of miscarriage.”

“Good, so you’re now in the second trimester?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Dan confirmed.

Martyn and Phil returned to the lounge with Ribena. As they handed out drinks, Martyn glanced over at his brother and his boyfriend. He was happy to see his little brother so happy. He could never thank Dan enough for making Phil so happy. And now there was a baby on the way.

“What are you thinking about?”

Martyn turned to the voice, finding Cornelia looking up at him.

“How happy Dan makes Phil and how much love this baby has for it already.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil woke up the morning they were headed to Wokingham to find Dan’s side of the bed empty.

“Dan?” He called.

He didn’t get a response but had an idea of where he was. Pushing the duvet back, he got of bed, heading towards the bathroom. He pulled his shirt on over his head as he walked down the stairs towards the bathroom.

“Dan?” He called again.

He opened the door to the toilet, finding Dan sitting on the floor in front of the toilet.

“I’m okay,” Dan replied. He blindly reached behind for Phil. In response, Phil took his hand and helped him to stand up.

“I thought morning sickness was over,” Phil said.

“It’s supposed to be,” Dan muttered. He walked into the bathroom to rinse his mouth out in the sink.

“What time is the train?” Phil asked from the toilet.

“Noon,” Dan replied. He washed his hands in the sink after rinsing his mouth. It was when he looked in the mirror that he noticed he was starting to show. Turning to his side, he pulled up his shirt trying to see if he could make out a small bump on his lower abdomen.

When Phil walked into the bathroom, he paused at the doorway. “What’s wrong?” He inquired.

“Do I look bigger to you?” Dan asked.

Phil washed his hands before he approached his boyfriend. He gently laid his hand on Dan’s stomach.

“I think it’s the baby,” Phil said. “The book said that you would start showing.”

“We’re definitely going to need to make a video. Though I kind of started one,” Dan admitted.

“Really?” Phil asked

Dan nodded. He headed upstairs to the lounge, Phil following him. Locating his MacBook, he turned it on. Once it had loaded up, Dan opened the video player and the clip he had recorded started to play.

It showed Dan in their bathroom with his iPhone recording.

“Today is May 28th, 2014, and……” Dan trailed off. Holding up two pregnancy tests, he says “I’m pregnant.”

Another clip started to play this time, in Dan’s bedroom.

“It’s confirmed. I’m pregnant. Eight weeks. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Phil, but I know he’s going to be happy. Little one, if you’re watching this when you’re older, just know that while you were a surprise, Papa and I love you very much.”

Phil turned to Dan with tears in his eyes. “We’ll make a video announcing the pregnancy after we tell your family.”

Dan nodded. “It’s real now,” he said. Then it dawned on him.

He still needed to tell his family.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The train ride to Wokingham wasn’t that long, about an hour. Dan used that time to edit a video while Phil used it to catch up on his reading. They took a taxi to Dan’s Mum’s house. As they approached the house, Dan felt the nerves he had felt before telling Kathryn and Nigel returning. He just hoped his Mum would be happy.

Thought she was going to be a young Grandma.

When the taxi pulled into the driveway of Dan’s childhood home, Phil paid the driver as Dan got out. As they approached the front door, it opened to reveal Veronica.

“Hello Bear,” She greeted, throwing her arms out for a hug.

“Hi Grandma,” Dan said as he hugged her.

As Veronica greeted Phil, Karen came out of the kitchen. She greeted her son.

“How was the trip?” Karen asked as they walked into the kitchen.

“Good,” Dan replied and Phil launched into telling them about the book he was reading.

Martin came into the kitchen, greeting Dan before saying hello to Phil.

Karen and Veronica began to put food on the table for lunch, catching Dan up on the family news.

“Remember me telling you about your cousin Vector’s son, Simon?” Veronica asked.

“Yes, have you talked to Auntie Rose?” Karen inquired.

“Everything is going great. It’s a little boy,” Veronica said.

Dan and Phil glanced at each other, wondering when would be a good time to announce they were having a baby.

When they sat down for lunch, Veronica said the blessing before they eat. When she finished they passed around the plates and the platters, making small talk. Karen informed her parents and Dan and Phil how Adrian was doing in Uni, how her job was going, and briefly mentioned she had a chat with James, causing Veronica to tighten her grip on the knife.

Veronica told them about the latest gossip and village news from church, adding pieces of information she had gotten from her ladies' meeting.

When she asked Dan and Phil was new with them, Dan blurted out, “I’m pregnant!”

Forks clattered. Veronica gasped. Karen froze. Phil felt the need to crawl under the table.

Karen broke the silence.

“What?!” She exclaimed.

“I found out about six a month or so ago. I didn’t tell you because I was in the time where there’s still a high risk of having a miscarriage. I’m due in January.”

Veronica broke out of her shock. “Baby, you’re going to have a baby.” She smiled as she turned to her beaming husband. “Isn’t that exciting Martin, a great grandbaby!”

Karen asked, “Is everything alright?”

Dan nodded. “The baby’s okay, healthy. I, on the other hand, still have bouts of morning sickness, but other than that I’m fine.”

Silence followed for a minute or two before Karen said, loudly, startling Veronica, “I'm GOING TO BE a GRANDMA.”

She jumped out of her chair walking around the table to hug her son. “I know this wasn’t planned, sweetheart, but this baby is going to have a lot of love waiting for them right here.”

The conversation went to discussing everything baby. Karen asked if it was alright if she told Adrian. Dan assured her it was fine. There was no mention of telling James. Veronica filled a second plate, handing it to Dan.

“You’re eating for two, now,” She said.

When they moved to the sitting room, Dan pulled out his MacBook. With Phil’s help, they hooked up the television to show Karen, Veronica, and Martin a video of the sonogram.

“We got this at the last appointment. Dr. Vick said that with Carriers, there are more sonograms than if it was a…….”

“Woman,” Karen supplied.

Dan opened the video player, clicked on the file that the sonogram was called. The screen went black for a second before the image popped on the screen.

“Aw,” Karen and Veronica cooed in unison.

“I see a head,” Karen commented not long after the image changed.

When the heartbeat played, Karen reached for the tissue box. Veronica watched in awe while Martin watched with a smile.

“Did you see that? It’s waving at us!” Veronica said, excitedly. 

“It looks like it’s sucking its thumb,” Karen commented.

They sat in silence watching the video until Karen broke it.

“Has your Mum seen this?” She asked Phil. 

“We sent her a disc of her own. We had two extra ones made for you and my parents,” he explained.

“This one is yours,” Dan added.

When the sonogram ended, Karen and Veronica asked if everything was okay with the baby. Dan assured them that everything was fine. 

“When do you find out the gender?” Karen asked, taking the disc from Dan, along with an envelope with a copy of the sonogram.

“I’m fifteen weeks now. We should find out at the next sonogram which is scheduled for a month from now.”

“I don’t care what it is as long as it’s healthy and you’re okay,” Karen said, smiling at the thoughts of a grandchild.

It wasn’t until Dan and Phil were on the train that now that the family knows, it’s time to tell the BBC. But most importantly, it’s time to tell the fans.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

They had the Anti-Discrimination against Carriers law on their side. Phil kept reminding himself of this as he and Dan got ready to head to the BBC.

He sent an email to Alistair requesting a meeting with him and Victoria, stating that he and Dan had some news for them. The anxiety started right after Phil hit send. He was afraid that even with the Anti-Discrimination law they would still lose their job at the BBC, thus losing the radio show.

“Ready?” Dan asked, peeking in on him.

“Yeah,” Phil said, slowly.

“It will be okay,” Dan said, trying to sound assuring.

They took a taxi to the BBC, making it with ten minutes to spare. As they approached the building, they both stopped, looking at the building they had been working at over the last year and a half. Taking a deep breath in unison, they entered the building, scanning their badges through the security and headed to the lifts. The ride to the eighth floor felt like it took longer than it did.

“Hello boys,” Victoria greeted as she passed them on the way to the restroom.

When they entered the conference room where the meeting would take place, Dan turned to Phil, whispering, “How are we going to do this?”

“Just tell them,” Phil replied.

“You two look a little rough, everything okay?” Alistair asked when he entered the room.

Neither Dan nor Phil slept much the night more. They were more than just nervous about this meeting. They were terrified.

“Just didn’t sleep well last night,” Phil replied. “We have a neighbor who shall we say makes a questionable noise in the middle of the night.”

“And it wakes us up,” Dan added.

When Victoria entered the room the meeting began. “So what’s the news?” She asked.

Dan swallowed thickly. He asked, “Do you know what a carrier is?”

Alistair and Victoria nodded. Dan sighed in relief mentally, glad that he didn’t need to explain. He continued, taking Phil’s hand under the table. He gave him a gentle squeeze.

“Well, I’m one, and…….I’m pregnant,” Dan said.

Silence. Silence followed. It felt like an eternity until……..

“Congratulations,” Victoria stated. “Because of that, we can make sure we don’t pick Dan VS Phil challenges that would harm the baby.”

“Everything okay?” Alistair asked.

“Yeah, everything’s okay……. now,” Dan added.

“When are you due?” Victoria asked.

“January,” Dan and Phil answered. Dan added, “Early January.”

As the show was changing in September, Victoria and Alistair promised the same things that any female employee got, including a rolling chair for Dan to sit on if he got tired of standing. Phil made a note to talk with Dr. Vick about how long should Dan be sitting and standing at Dan’s next appointment which was next week.

“Even though your slots for the show, outside of specials, will be the first Monday of each month, we’ll work around it if you go over your due date,” Alistair said. “If you need anything to make your job easier, let us know.”

“I will, definitely,” Dan said.

Since they were at the BBC already, Phil shared what he and Dan had come up with for the next months’ worth of shows. 

Dan felt part of a weight had been lifted. They told the BBC, they still had the radio show, and they were very understanding.

When Dan and Phil left the BBC, they decided to go out for dinner to celebrate they still had the radio show. Dan picked the restaurant because he was craving Italian. Zizzi’s happen to be on the way home.

“So now that my family knows, your family knows, the BBC knows, is it time to tell the fans?” Phil asked, before putting a fork full of spaghetti in his mouth

“We need to tell them before too long,” Dan said, picking up the glass of Coke and taking a drink. “Before I get the questions about why my stomach is getting bigger and the ‘you’ve gained weight’ comments.’

“Okay, we’ll film it this weekend. Upload it by Monday, sound like a plan?” Phil asked, watching Dan’s face for a reaction.

To his relief, Dan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Filming the video was easy. Dan and Phil decided to make it simple, mentioning that Dan would make a video explaining what carriers are at a later time.

“Ready?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded. “I’m ready.”

Taking a deep breath, they looked at the camera and waved, giving their usual greetings.

“Hey, guys.”

“Hello Internet.”

“So you’ve seen the title and are probably wondering what announcement Dan and I would have,” Phil said.

“First I should explain. When I was nineteen, I found out that was a carrier. A carrier is a male who can get pregnant. Long story short, a while ago, Phil and I found out…..” Dan trailed off. Phil reached for his hand out of view of the camera. “That I’m pregnant.”

They included the clips Dan had filmed earlier, deciding to include them before they sat down to film the video.

The video itself was just over five minutes long, as Dan and Phil explained they were going to carry on making videos, doing the radio show, and try to keep life as normal as possible.

Phil volunteered to edit it, but they had a hard time deciding which channel to upload it to. In the end, they picked Phil’s channel. Before he uploaded it, he tagged a few things in the comments to be hidden. The last thing neither he nor Dan needed was a comment section filled with hate.

While Carriers were common, they were still a little taboo to some people.

When the video was finished, Phil called Dan into the office. Together with their hands on the mouse, they uploaded the video and muted their phones.

“So,” Phil said, standing up. “Hungry?”

“I could eat,” Dan replied.

They decided to make Mexican for dinner. Phil pulled one of the colorful chairs from their dining table into the kitchen for Dan to sit in while Phil cooked.

“When should we see what the damage is?” Dan asked.

Phil paused, stirring in the salsa, mild because one thing they learned was Dan couldn’t handle the heat. He was silent until….

“Maybe another hour?” Phil suggested.

Dan agreed. 

When they were sitting down to dinner, Phil turned on the television where an episode of _Game of Thrones_ was playing.

“We’ve seen this episode hadn’t we?” Phil asked.

Dan shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

As now everyone knew that Dan was pregnant, Phil decided to ask Dan about some things he had been thinking about.

“Have you asked Dr. Vick about how the baby…….” Phil trailed off.

Dan realized what Phil was asking. He shook his head. “I don’t know. Hopefully not in the same way it went in.”

“We’ll ask at the next visit. Do you want to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“I think so,” Dan said. “It would be nice to know if we’re having a boy or a girl. Do you have a preference?”

“No,” Phil shook his head. “Do you?”

“Not really,” Dan admitted. 

When dinner was cleared away and the dished in the dishwasher, Phil led Dan into the lounge where they sat to watch television for the evening.

Phil reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s belly. It was a habit now. One that wouldn’t break until the baby arrived.

“Does it seem real to you?” Phil asked, suddenly.

“What?” Dan inquired.

“You’re pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. Our lives as we know it will change. We’ll have a little human life to be responsible for. Does it seem real?” Phil repeated.

“No,” Dan admitted. He laid his hand down over Phil’s. “I never thought I’d be pregnant, really. But now that I am and we’re having a child, it’s…….”Dan trailed off.

“What?” Phil prompted.

“Terrifying and exciting at the same time.”

Phil nodded, agreeing. 

“Do you think we’ll be good parents?” Dan asked.

Phil paused, thinking before nodding. “Yeah, I think we will be.”

Conversation flowed from the baby to baby names to all things baby. Even though Dan was still early in his pregnancy, there was still a lot to talk about.

Phil was on his MacBook, researching ways that a partner can help in pregnancy when he came across something he found interesting. Belly casting.

“Do women actually do this?” He asked himself. Dan was in the shower, so he knew he wouldn’t hear him.

He added it to a list of possible video ideas. He knew it involved Dan baring his pregnant belly. He wouldn’t be comfortable doing that on camera, but it was something to consider.

When Dan came back in the lounge, freshly showered, hair curling, and dressed in his pajamas of t-shirt and pants, he sat down beside Phil with a bowl of popcorn.

“What are you reading?” Dan asked.

“I’m reading some bonding exercises I can do with the baby,” Phil replied.

“Aren’t you a little head of yourself? Dan questioned.

“Actually, it’s bonding with the baby while the baby is still in your belly.”

“Is that possible?” Dan looked over Phil’s shoulder at the screen. As they read over each suggestion, Phil made a note of some of the ones they might try.

“Are we ready to see the damage?” Phil asked after some time had passed.

Dan nodded. Together with their MacBooks, they both took a deep breath and began to check their social media starting with the comments on the video.

WHAT! OMG! WHAT!

CONGRATS GUYS!

DAN’S PREGNANT! WHAT!

AWW BABY PHAN! CONGRATS

#BABYPHAN2015! CONGRATULATIONS DAN AND PHIL!

“Okay, so the comments are…..good,” Phil said.

Checking social media, they found that everyone had been positive with only a handful of haters, small thankfully.

“PJ tweeted the link and said ‘Congratulations guys, does this mean I get to be Uncle PJ?’” Phil read.

“Cat, Tyler, and Joey all shared the video with messages of ‘Congratulations’ and Cat added that ‘we’ll make awesome parents’,” Dan read. “Louise tweeted ‘Congrats guys!”

“So now, that everybody knows, does this mean we can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy?”

Dan paused. Everyone knew. Their families, their friends, the BBC, all of the people they work with, the fans, everyone knows.

Well…..except…..

“Marianne is calling me,” Phil said. He swiped to answer. “Hello?”

“So when were you two going to mention this to me?” She asked.

“Okay, so not everyone knew. But now they all know.” Dan said, shrugging, happy to know that everyone knows about his pregnancy now he and Phil can move on looking forward to having this baby.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil shot up, breathing heavily. The room was dark, according to the glaring red numbers on his alarm clock it was 3:02. He had gone to bed after midnight two hours after Dan called it a night.

The dream felt real. He had dreamed that something happened to Dan and they lost the baby.

Breathing heavily, Phil turned to his right to find Dan asleep beside. Gently, trying not to wake him, Phil reached over to feel Dan’s stomach. He could feel something. He picked up his phone to shine the torch on Dan’s abdomen.

“What are you doing?”

Phil jumped at the voice, dropping his phone on the bed.

The light came on suddenly, almost blinding him. As he adjusted to the light, Phil turned to find Dan was awake, looking at him.

“I had a dream that something happened to you and you lost the baby.”

“Phil, I promise you the baby is fine. Do you want to use the Doppler?” Dan asked.

Phil had ordered a Doppler from Amazon the day after Dan told him he was pregnant. They had used it for fun and when times like this occurred, they needed a reminder that they were a baby in there.

“Yeah,” Phil said, getting the gel and the Doppler from the drawer in his dresser.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside Dan as he pulled up his shirt, he took the bottle of gel and squirted a small dollop on Dan’s abdomen before applying the transducer. The baby’s heartbeat was soon heard, making Phil take a sigh of relief.

“Feel better?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded. They listened for another few minutes before Phil removed the transducer and wiped Dan’s abdomen with a tissue. Then he leaned down and kissed Dan’s belly.

“Papa panicked little one. I know you’re okay now.”

“Does this mean I’m Dad?” Dan asked.

“Or Daddy,” Phil added, putting up the gel and the Doppler back in the drawer. “Unless you have….”

“No I don’t,” Dan assured him, interrupting his spill. “It’s fine.”

Turning off the light, Phil returned to his side of the bed, crawling in, snuggling close to Dan, He laid his hand down on Dan’s belly above where the baby was nestled safely waiting for the time to arrive for him (or her) to arrive.

With the happy thoughts that the baby was okay, Phil went to sleep dreaming of all the things he can do with his child. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We might find out the gender in the next chapter! Any guesses? I also have the name picked out and will reveal it in a later chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going well with the pregnancy. Dan and Phil visit Dr. Vick, confirming the baby is healthy. The baby moves for the first time and things start to get real for Phil.

Phil carried the pasta dish he had just thrown together into the lounge. An episode of Doctor Who was on the television, waiting for them to watch it.

“Dan, dinner’s ready,” Phil called.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

After a trip down to the bathroom, Dan came back up to the lounge where Phil already had fixed his plate.

“Hungry?” Phil asked.

“Starving,” Dan answered.

Sitting down to dinner, they made only small talk as they watched Doctor Who. Phil didn’t even question it when Dan went back for seconds. He had been eating more since finding out he was pregnant.

“Is it good?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded, stirring his pasta. “It’s good. Was this the recipe your Mum sent you?”

“She made it when we stayed with her back in January.” Phil paused to get a drink. “I emailed her for the recipe since you liked it and I thought I was it good plus something that we can easily throw together.”

Silence passed over the table for a minute or two before Phil asked Dan how the video he was working on was coming along.

“It’s coming along pretty good. It should be uploaded tomorrow.”

“Are you nervous about uploading it?” Phil inquired, adding more parmesan to his pasta.

“Not really,” Dan admitted, stabbing a noodle with his fork. “I honestly don’t feel nervous about uploading. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but since we’ve announced I’m pregnant people have been tweeting me questions. I think this video will not only answer the questions for those who are curious but also help those that think they might also be a carrier.”

“How would one find out?” Phil asked.

“Blood work,” Dan replied. “Sometimes it can show up in the physical exam like I think Dr. Vick explained it as you can feel this pouch-like thing under your belly button. Those who are trained know what to look for.”

“Another thing I was thinking,” Phil began. “Say we have a son. Can we find out sooner if he’s a carrier?”

Dan seemed to be thinking about this when he didn’t immediately answer.

“I think,” he said when he broke the silence. “That that’s something we can find out sooner, but for some, they don’t know it until around puberty. In my case, I didn’t find out until later mainly because we didn’t think it would have passed on to me. I just went for a routine checkup and wham! I found out I’m a carrier.” 

“But if we find out our son is one, “Phil amended

“Then we’ll go from there. We’ll be supportive, and encouraging. If the worse happens and he does get pregnant, we’ll support him, like our families are doing now.”

Phil nodded, agreeing.

When dinner was over, he took the dishes to the kitchen where he began to clean up. Since Dan found out he was pregnant, Phil had taken on most, if not, all of the household chores. While Phil cleaned up, Dan cleaned up the lounge, bringing dishes to the kitchen, and cleaned the table before sitting down on the sofa.

Phil popped in to check on him, bringing him water or Ribena, making sure he was doing alright.

When Phil finished, they would talk about the day’s events if they had something that day and review what was on the agenda for the next day. Besides Dan uploading his carrier’s video, the day was pretty quiet.

“So I was thinking of doing a video in which I talk about your pregnancy from my perspective, what do you think?” Phil asked, returning to the lounge.

Dan shrugged. “That’s alright with me if that’s what you want to do.”

When they moved to the bedroom, later that night Phil picked up _What to Expecting When You’re Expecting._ He had found the book when he and Dan went to the bookstore to look for some books on parenting and came across that one. Dan had been reading _Pregnancy for Dummies_ , another one of their bookstore finds _._ They read the books before bed every night comparing the advice and the……descriptions of pregnancy.

Since Dan became pregnant, they had been going to bed a normal time or been trying to. Dan found that he was extra tired and needed more sleep. Dr. Vick said that it was normal advising he listen to his body.

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about engorged breasts,” Phil said. “Unless you suddenly grow some in the next little bit.”

“I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about,” Dan commented, reentering the bedroom from heading to the other room to collect a shirt to sleep in.

“It says here that you should be feeling the baby move around nineteen weeks,” Phil recited. He looked up as Dan pulled the shirt he wore that day over his head and changed into the other. When Phil didn’t say anything else, Dan turned to ask him what was wrong. He found Phil staring at him.

“What?” Dan asked.

Phil stood up, approached his boyfriend, laying his hand on Dan’s stomach. Slowly, he guided Dan over to the mirror.

“Do you see what I see?” Phil inquired.

Dan pulled up his shirt to see if Phil was seeing things. There was a visible bump there.

“It’s real,” Dan said.

“It is,” Phil agreed. “We’re going to have to go shopping for clothes soon won’t we?”

“I think so. Jeans are starting to feel a little snug,” Dan commented.

“I can tell.” Phil rubbed the red spot where the button of Dan’s jeans dug into the flesh of his belly. “We’ll need to go shopping after the appointment with Dr. Vick tomorrow, won’t we?”

Dan nodded. “Definitely.”

When Phil returned from taking out his contacts, he found Dan had discovered the pictures in _What to Expect When You're Expecting_.

“We need to talk to Dr. Vick about a few things,” Dan said. “I don’t even know how this little one is coming out. Surely not in the way it went in.”

Phil chuckled. “We’ll ask Dr. Vick in the morning.”

Dan nodded as he laid down. He had taken to slipping pillows under his shirt to see how big he would get. He would ask Phil if he would still love him when he was that particular size. Phil always had to reassure Dan that yes, he would still love him and that he wasn’t fat, he was pregnant.

Phil laid down beside Dan, pulling up his shirt, rubbing along Dan’s lower abdomen where their baby was nestled and safe.

“You know I will tell you when he or she starts moving right?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded. “Just wanted to let the little one know I’m here.”

Dan chuckled leaving Phil to his exploring. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t mind all the attention Phil was showing his belly. He was, at first. But now, he found that he missed when Phil would rub his belly or lay his hand on his stomach. Soon, Dan fell asleep. Phil knew that sometimes a belly rub helps soothe Dan to sleep, especially now since he’s pregnant.

Phil leaned over, kissed Dan’s forehead. “Goodnight, Danny.” He smiled because he could get away with it. Then he leaned down and kissed Dan’s belly.

“Goodnight, Baby. Papa loves you.”

Phil snuggled against Dan’s side, his head on Dan’s shoulder, his hand remaining on Dan’s abdomen. Tomorrow, they would check on the baby see if it’s alright, maybe find out the gender. Mainly they just wanted to find out that everything was fine.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Entering the University College London Hospital, Dan felt a little nervous. It was unusual that they met here for his appointments. Usually, in the UK, pregnant ladies went to their GP first. Then they were referred to a Midwife for the duration of their pregnancy unless they are considered to have a high-risk pregnancy. Then they would be referred to an obstetrician. In the case of a carrier, they saw an obstetrician who specializes in Carrier pregnancies.

While Dan usually sees Dr. Vick at his office, today he requested to meet with them at the hospital. He and Phil had decided to have the baby here since Dr. Vick was affiliated with the hospital, they would be able to have their baby in the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing.

Entering the waiting area, Dan went to check in while Phil took a seat in one of the chairs. He had just picked up a parenting magazine when Dan joined him.

“Five minutes,” He said.

“What?” Phil asked.

“Dr. Vick will be with us in five minutes,” Dan explained.

They looked over the magazine together, discussing how realistic the pictures looked to kill time.

A nurse came out to take Dan to the back to be weighted and have vitals checked. Phil was allowed to follow him.

“Hop up here,” the nurse directed to the scales. Dan took his shoes off before stepping onto the scales. He and Phil watched waiting for the numbers to pop on the screen. When it did, Dan winced.

“That’s good,” the nurse assured him.

Dan stepped off the scale sitting down in the chair beside the desk. The nurse applied the blood pressure cuff, pumping it when Dan said he was ready. The nurse looked at the reading, nodding.

“120/75.”

She checked his temperature and pulse. When the thermometer beeped, she checked it nodding once more.

“37.0”

She made the notes in Dan’s chart. “Alright boys, Dr. Vick will be right with you.”

“Thank you,” Dan and Phil said in unison. They returned to the waiting room.

“Bring home Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough one more, I dare you,” Dan growled at Phil.

“You said you were craving it. Dr. Vick said it was okay to give in to your cravings,” Phil defended himself.

“Why can’t I crave something that isn’t going to make me look like a whale after I have this baby?” Dan pondered.

They sat in silence until Dan muttered, “I blame you for this.”

“You weren’t exactly telling me no,” Phil intoned. “I thought you took your pill. You even said you took it.”

“And I should have checked,” Dan grumbled.

They were in silence again, neither of them talking or looking at a magazine.

“I’m sorry,” Dan said, breaking the silence once again. “I just………this wasn’t planned.”

“I know,” Phil murmured, reaching over and squeezing Dan’s shoulder.

When Dr. Vick stepped out, he approached the two men.

“Come on back,” He said.

Phil put the magazine back as Dan got up from the chair. They followed Dr. Vick to the back where he let them to a small office.

“Come on in, have a seat,” Dr. Vick said.

Closing the door after Phil stepped in, he began, “So I know it’s usual to meet here, but since we’ve decided this is where you’re having the baby, we’ll need to start coming here to establish you as a patient here. Now that you’re almost twenty weeks, we’ll need to do a developmental check. When we do the next ultrasound, which will be next week, we check the baby’s development. It’s known as the anatomy scan. We’ll also be doing some screening at the same time for Down syndrome and other genetic disorders. If they are concerns, we may need to do an Amniocentesis.”

“What’s that?” Dan inquired.

“It’s a procedure performed during pregnancy to obtain amniotic fluid to test for chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections,” Dr. Vick explained. “We insert a needle into the abdomen, guided by ultrasound and we take a sample of the amniotic fluid.”

At Dan’s panicked and Phil’s worried expression, he quickly added, “This will only be if we see things in the screening that are concerning.”

“Okay,” Dan breathed.

“Now, do you have questions before we continue to the exam?” Dr. Vick asked.

“I know this might sound stupid but how is the baby coming out?” Dan asked.

Dr. Vick chuckled. “I imagine you were thinking the same way it went in. But you will be delivering the baby by Caesarean section.”

“That’s surgery right?” Phil inquired.

Dr. Vick nodded. “Correct.”

“Okay,” Dan replied.

“Do you have any other questions?” Dr. Vick asked.

“Do I have the ability to……?” Dan trailed off for a moment motioning to his chest.

“Breastfeed?” Dr. Vick finished. Dan nodded. “No. The only way that would happen is if you have the hormone and you don’t. Now there are shots you can take if that is something you’re interested in.

“It wasn’t,” Dan said, shaking his head. “Something we had thought about.”

“So all a Carrier does is make and carry a baby?” Phil asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Vick replied. “Now, let’s move to the couch. Let’s see how things are going.”

Dan moved to the treatment couch, lying down. Phil moved to stand beside him, helping him move to a more comfortable spot.

“Are you experiencing any pain? Any abdominal pain?” Dr. Vick asked.

“No, though I still feel nauseous. Sometimes I do throw up,” Dan said.

“But he eats,” Phil added. “He’s eating more these last two to three weeks that he has since he found out he was pregnant.”

Dr. Vick nodded. “Are you feeling any movement?”

“Not yet,” Dan answered. “Is that normal?”

“First pregnancy, it is. You should be feeling something soon. It feels like a cricket or something is crawling across your tummy. The movement at first is very light that some people don’t realize it’s the baby moving.”

“I haven’t felt anything like that,” Dan stated.

“Alright, can you lift your top for me?”

Dan pulled up his shirt, exposing the growing bump. Seeing Dan’s belly reminded Phil of another question.

“Something we forget to mention is Dan has been scratching his stomach a lot, under his shirt. Is that normal?” He asked.

“Your belly may feel itchy to accommodate your growing baby. Use cold packs or slather on moisturizer for relief. Scratching can make it worse,” Dr. Vick told Dan. “I’ll give you a pamphlet on that before you left. It has a list of moisturizers that are good for pregnant skin. Now, I recommend getting your partner involved, this means you, Phil. You can apply the moisturizer to Dan’s belly. Add a little massage to it. Not only will it relax Dan, but the baby as well.”

Phil nodded. “Is there a special kind of massage or can I look one up?”

“You can look one up, just remember not a lot of pressure,” Dr. Vick warned.

As Dr. Vick began the exam by pressing around Dan’s abdomen, he asked Dan about his sleeping pattern.

“I sleep more. By the end of the day, especially if we’ve been busy, I’m tired and asleep by at the latest eleven, but usually, it’s ten.”

“He also falls asleep anywhere,” Phil added. “On the sofa, in the armchair, the computer chair in the office once, but usually he makes it to the bed.”

Dr. Vick nodded. “That’s good. Now I’m going to see if I can feel the baby, see where the head is. At this stage, we’re not too concerned if the baby is breeched, which for you it doesn’t matter as you’re delivering by C-section. It’s also to see if everything is alright in there as well.”

Phil watched Dr. Vick’s hands as they searched for their baby. He found the head easily and from there was able to identify the baby’s location.

“This still feels weird,” Dan commented.

Dr. Vick chuckled. “Most of my patients say that. Now that you’re twenty weeks, we began to measure the fundal height. The fundal height measurement is typically done to determine if a baby is small for its gestational age. The measurement is generally defined as the distance in centimeters from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. In your case, the top of the pouch it’s in as you don’t have a uterus.”

Getting the measuring tape, he started pressing along the top of Dan’s abdomen until he found the top of the pouch.

“Now I’ll find the pubic bone and we’ll see if you’re measuring for twenty weeks.”

Dr. Vick measured the fundal height, nodded, and then removing the measuring tape. “You are measuring twenty weeks.”

“How often do I need to come here for appointments?” Dan asked.

“I’m going to say every two weeks starting this week. Usually, it’s after twenty-five weeks, but with carriers, we want to monitor them more closely,” Dr. Vick explained.

“Do we come here?” Phil asked.

“Sometimes,” Dr. Vick said. “The card you’ll get for your next appointment will tell you where to go.”

He picked up the Doppler and the gel. “Now, since we know where the baby’s head is if I put this here behind its shoulder.” Dr. Vick pointed to a spot on the side to the upper left side of Dan’s belly button. “We should hear a heartbeat.”

He applied some gel to the area, warning Dan it might be cold. Then he gently pressed the Doppler on Dan’s belly. Soon they heard a thumping sound. It was the baby’s heartbeat.

Dr. Vick listened for a minute before he nodded. “140, that’s good.”

He removed the Doppler, handing Phil a towel to wipe the gel off.

“Everything looks good.”

Dan pulled his shirt down as Phil helped him sit up.

“You seem to be doing well. The baby is on track and healthy. Heartbeat is where we want it. Everything feels great. What it should feel like. Of course, any questions or concerns call the office. We’ll see you in two weeks for your next appointment.”

After Dr. Vick left, Phil helped Dan off the treatment couch. They left the room, stopping by to the checkout desk to make an appointment. They would be back next week for the ultrasound.

“Will anyone be accompanying you besides your partner?” the lady at the desk asked.

“No,” Dan replied.

“Alright, you’re scheduled. The appointment for the ultrasound next Tuesday at two.”

“Thank you.”

While Dan talked to the girl at the checkout, Phil collected the pamphlets Dr. Vick wanted them to look over.

As they walked to the doors to leave the hospital, Phil asked, “Are you hungry?”

“When am I not?” Dan retorted.

“Do you want Italian or something else?” Phil asked.

“Something else,” Dan decided.

“McDonald's?” Phil suggested.

“Let’s go.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO 

Dan uploaded his video on carriers, wanting it to be the first video that was uploaded after the announcement he and Phil were having a baby. He had called Dr. Vick’s office to ask for resources available in the UK for carriers. He was a wealth of information and resources. Dan wrote down each one and checked them out himself.

If he’d known resources like this existed when he found out he was a carrier, he would have had an easier time with it all.

He had even found some resources for carriers who find themselves pregnant. Dr. Vick’s office had a support group for carriers including one for pregnant carriers. Dan had dragged Phil to one meeting just for the video and they were amazed to learn that some families didn’t see being a Carrier in the same way.

Some of them were kicked out of their family home upon telling their families that they were carriers. They ended up with their partner’s family or living with their partner. It was only thanks to the NHS that they were able to continue their medical care. For Dan, a part of him was relieved that he had a supportive family. Well, his Mum and brother were supportive.

“How did the video do?” Phil asked.

“Trending on Tumblr, Twitter, and on the YouTube homepage,” Dan replied.

Phil sat down beside Dan, showing him the work he had been doing on his own video. He had gotten a lot of tweets asking him if he was going to make a pregnancy-related video. One of the resources Dan found for his carrier video that he shared with Phil was a resource for the partners.

From there, an idea for a video was born.

“Looks good. I like how you mention what you do for me,” Dan commented.

Phil smiled, happy to know that Dan was happy with his video. When he finished editing, he and Dan watched it through to make sure everything was perfect and the loose ends were tried up. Phil even mentioned Dan’s carrier video saying he would link it in the description. Once the video was finished and Dan said it was okay, Phil uploaded it.

“I’ve been craving Sweet and Sour Chicken and Lo-mien noodles, so can we order Chinese?” Dan asked.

“You don’t have to ask,” Phil said, pulling out his phone to call their favorite Chinese takeaway.

The food arrived a half-hour later. They sat on the couch in the lounge, an anime movie on television. They didn’t bother with chopsticks. Instead, they used a fork. Phil had ordered Dumplings as well, ordering a double order of them with a large order of Sweet and Sour Chicken and Lo-mien noodles.

Since the nausea and the morning sickness had now gone away, Dan found that he was always hungry. He would eat two bowls of cereal for breakfast, adding a banana or two if he was really hungry. He ate a peanut butter sandwich or an apple for a morning snack. Lunch was a mixed mash of things, but what it was, Dan had seconds. Dinner was the same, seconds of everything.

Dan even snacked in between lunch and dinner. Phil often wondered where he put it.

Dr. Vick didn’t comment on Dan’s weight gain, but he did tell Dan it was normal to be hungrier during pregnancy. He gave Dan and Phil a list of foods that Dan needed to avoid. It helped that most of it Dan either didn’t like or didn’t eat.

Late-night snacks were Popcorn or Ice cream. Of course, there were cravings. Phil only had to make a trip to Tesco in the middle of the night because Dan wanted chocolate ice cream.

“What do you want for dessert?” Phil inquired.

“I don’t…..” Dan trailed off, sitting up straighter. He felt like something had just crawled across his stomach.

“What is it?” Phil asked. “What what’s wrong?”

“I think…” Dan felt the same movement again. “I think the baby just moved.”

“Did it?!” Phil exclaimed excitedly. He sat down beside Dan, laying his hand on his belly.

When Dan felt the movement again, he moved Phil’s hand to where he felt the baby move again.

“I can’t feel anything,” Phil said.

Then something pushed against his hand, making him jump. “I felt that.”

“Now that the baby is moving, I might not get a lot of sleep,” Dan commented.

Phil leaned over and pecked on Dan’s stomach with his finger. “Hey little one, it’s Papa. Let Daddy sleep some okay? Because Daddy can be extra cranky if he’s….hey!”

Dan reached behind Phil lightly smacking him in the back of the head.

“I’m just trying to help,” Phil defended himself.

“Uh-huh,” Dan hummed.

Phil reached for his phone, snapping a picture of Dan unawares. It was evident Dan was pregnant with his stomach poking out. Gazing down at the picture Phil smiled. Dan had his hand on his stomach looking down at his growing bump.

He decided to send his Mum a text.

_The baby moved._

Kathryn replied, ‘ _Can’t wait to see you boys and feel that baby_ ’ with heart emojis.

Phil smiled, laying his phone down. He reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s stomach again.

He felt the baby kick under his hand.

Suddenly it dawned on Phil. There was a baby in there. _His_ baby.

“It’s real,” Phil murmured. “There’s a baby in there.”

Dan chuckled. “What did you think was in there? An alien?”

“No, it’s hitting me that in a short while, we’ll have a baby.”

Phil’s words brought reality back to Dan. They were going to be responsible for another human life. They could barely take care of themselves. But things were going well with YouTube and the radio show, and there were a couple of projects coming up in the next year that would help them out financially, or they hoped.

“But you know what I can’t wait to meet the little one,” Phil admitted.

Dan smiled, laying his hand over Phil’s on his belly. “Neither can I.” 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil squirted some cocoa butter lotions into his hands, rubbing them to warm the lotion. Gently, he laid his hands on Dan’s belly and began to apply the lotion. He had searched for a prenatal massage video on YouTube, finding one he was looking for. He watched it over and over until he was sure he had gotten the techniques down.

Right now he was focusing on the abdominal portion, as Dr. Vick and his mother said that a lot of Dan’s weight is being pushed forward in his abdomen.

He glanced up at Dan’s face as he moved down to trace what he thought was Dan’s ribs. Dr. Vick had told him when he called to make sure it was okay to massage the abdomen during the pregnancy to make sure he used light pressure, went in a clockwise direction with the strokes, and also massaging the sides as well.

Dan’s eyes were closed, but Phil could tell he wasn’t asleep.

“How does this feel?” Phil asked, softly.

“Good,” Dan sighed. “The baby isn’t moving a lot right now. It almost seems like this is relaxing it too.”

There was something Phil wanted to talk to Dan about. The anatomy scan was next week. Sometimes, if the parents didn’t know already, they could find out the gender.

Phil really wanted to know.

“Dan, next week we have the anatomy scan. I’ve read online that if you don’t know the gender, you can find out during that ultrasound,” Phil began.

“And?” Dan prompted.

“I was wondering if you would want to find out the gender?” Phil blurted.

Dan was silent. Phil thought he had offended him. That is until……

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Dan admitted. “I think I want to know if we can find out. Sometimes the baby doesn’t cooperate. We’ll have to find out another time.”

“You’ve read about it, too?” Phil inquired.

Dan nodded, moving Phil’s hand back to his lower abdomen. “That felt good,” he said, before adding. “I would hate to have to go back and repeat the scan if that happened.”

“I hope everything turns out okay,” Phil whispered.

“I’ve also looked up that test Dr. Vick was telling us about. The amniocentesis,” Dan said. “It sounds scary. I hope that I don’t have to have that done. The risks to the baby…….” He trailed off. 

“Hey,” Phil soothed. “It might not happen. I hope it doesn’t. I hope we have a healthy baby and you are alright.”

Dan nodded. He had told his Mum about it when he talked to her yesterday when he called to update her and to ask if she got the text with the sound bite of the baby’s heartbeat. She assured him yes she did. When he told her about what Dr. Vick said about the testing, Karen assured Dan that everything will be fine.

Veronica called that morning to check on Dan. Karen had told her about Dan’s concerns. She told him was praying for a healthy baby, as well as Dan’s health and safety.

“It’s something I can do,” She said before Dan said a word. “All I can do is pray that the baby is healthy and so are you and safe.”

Not knowing what else to say, Dan replied, “Thanks Grandma, you might want to toss in a few for Phil. I mean, he’s putting up with me, even before the pregnancy.”

Veronica chuckled. “I always do.”

Dan was brought back to the present when Phil laid his head on Dan’s belly. It had become a nightly routine that Phil would lay his head on Dan’s stomach, until Dan couldn’t stand it, and listen to the baby moving around.

“I’ve been thinking of a name,” Phil began, looking into the familiar brown eyes. He hoped their child got them. “If it’s a boy I want the middle to be Nigel, after Dad.”

Dan nodded. “Since we’re on the topic, I’ve been looking at names online. I think I’ve found one I like.”

“What is it?” Phil asked, sitting up.

“Cameron,” Dan replied. “I thought we could call them Cam for a nickname.”

“Cameron Nigel Howell-Lester,” Phil said, trying the name out for size. Then he nodded. “I like it.”

“So the baby’s going to have both of our last names?” Dan questioned.

“Well, we both made him or her. We could just go with Lester if you want,” Phil said.

“We’ll see,” Dan murmured.

They laid in silence in Phil’s bedroom, _their_ bedroom. Dan’s room would be part nursery, part filming room for Dan. It was either Dan’s room or the office/nerd room. Considering Dan’s room was closer, they decided to turn Dan’s room into a nursery with room for Dan to film.

“The lease on the place is up in 2017, we’ll need to get a better place by then. Our child will be two by then.”

Dan hummed as he listened to Phil talk about the future. He didn’t realize he fell asleep until Phil was tucking the duvet around him, kissing his forehead first, then his stomach.

“Goodnight, I love you. I love you both.”

Dan settled in for the night, dreaming of the family he and Phil would in the future.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

“How are you feeling, Dan?” Jameela asked when she sat down in the chair across from Dan for a meeting with Joe. Once a month, he met with all of the Radio 1 DJs and show hosts to discuss the business side of the job, such as budgets, changes to the show, and to talk with his employers.

“Okay,” Dan replied. “I don’t feel as sick as I did.”

“Are you about twenty weeks?” Dr. Radha asked.

“I am this week,” Dan confirmed.

Phil sat down beside Dan, handing him a bottle of water. “What did Joe want?” Phil whispered.

Joe had requested to meet with Dan before the meeting. He pretty much repeated what Alistair and Victoria said, adding that Dan could take the same amount of time off the female employees take for maternity leave. Or in this case paternity.

Phil nodded as Dan filled him in what they had discussed. He would let Alistair know what he and Phil decided.

“Do you know what you’re having yet?” Grimmy asked.

“Should find out next week,” Phil said. “Due to a scheduling conflict, the scan is scheduled for next week.”

As the meeting began, Dan noticed that the baby started to move a little more. He felt a strong kick in his side, making him jump.

“Are you okay?” Phil whispered.

“It kicked,” Dan replied.

Under the table, Phil laid his hand on Dan’s stomach, patting it hoping that it would calm down.

“Cover me,” Dan said in his ear.

Phil nodded.

Dan stood up quietly slipped out of the room. Phil figured he was going to the restroom. He glanced over at Aled who was waving at him to get his attention. He pointed to Dan’s empty chair.

“Restroom,” Phil mouthed. Aled nodded.

Dan came back ten minutes later, settling in his chair beside Phil. As it was a rolling chair, Phil held on to it as Dan sat down.

“And for the changes to their show, Dan and Phil’s show will be changed from every Sunday to the first Monday of the month. Also, it would be an hour-long compared to the two hours the show is currently. Do you have a name for the show?” Joe asked Dan and Phil.

“The Internet Takeover, as those who will be hosting the show in between the time Dan and I will have it, will be our internet friends. So far, we have four, but we’re waiting to hear back from three others,” Phil explained.

“Good,” Joe murmured, nodding.

The meeting went on for another twenty-five minutes, discussing budget changes, and renewing contracts for those whose contracts would be up. When the meeting was over, Phil held on to Dan’s chair to allow him to get up, waiting until he was standing to get up himself. They left the meeting room, making their way to the lift to go home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil woke up suddenly, sitting up in the bed. The room was dark except for the moonlight shined through the window. Immediately, He looked to his left where Dan was sleeping. Letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

He had read somewhere that when their partner is pregnant, they would have realistic dreams about their partner. The last dream he had something had happened to Dan and they lost the baby. Another dream was that Dan got hit by a car. They delivered the baby but Dan had died. That one had affected him the most, causing him to be extra protective of Dan the next day.

Tonight he dreamed of the birth, everything was going well until something happened. They lost the baby. Then he lost Dan.

Gently, Phil reached over, pulling the duvet down. Since he found out he was pregnant, Dan had started sleeping in a shirt. When he pulled down the duvet, he looked at Dan’s stomach. The bump was still there. He gently reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s belly, feeling the baby move under his hand. 

He gently rubbed Dan’s stomach, feeling the baby move.

Phil didn’t realize Dan was awake until he asked, “Are you okay?”

Phil jumped at the voice. “Geez Dan, you scared me to death!” Phil exclaimed, keeping his voice down for the neighbors.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” He repeated.

“I dreamed about the delivery,” Phil began. “Everything was going well, then this alarm went off and you were……..” He trailed off.

“Phil, it’s okay. Maybe at the next appointment, we’ll talk to Dr. Vick about the dreams you’ve been having,” Dan suggested.

“Okay,” Phil murmured.

He leaned over, kissing Dan’s forehead before he leaned down and kissed his stomach. 

“Let Daddy sleep, little one,” he whispered. He kissed Dan once more, whispering ‘good night’. With a hand on Dan’s belly, he went to sleep, dreaming happier dreams about the baby they would soon have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've done a lot of research in writing this fic, especially this chapter. The exam Dr. Vick does is based on a YouTube video of a pregnancy check up. We will definitely find out the baby's gender in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the anatomy scan. Will Dan and Phil find out the gender?

There was a mixture of nerves and excitement when they returned to the hospital for the anatomy scan. The most exciting part of the ultrasound was to find out of Baby Howell-Lester was a boy or a girl. The nerves revolved around the possibility of finding out if there is something wrong with the baby. But it was also going to be nice to see the baby again.

After a long debate, Dan and Phil decided to find out the gender. Kathryn was chomping at the bits to find out what her grandchild was. Karen wanted to know as well, but had told Dan she didn’t care either way as long as the baby and Dan were healthy.

The nurse called them not long after they got home for registration. When asked if he had any questions, Dan asked if Phil was allowed to accompany him. The nurse told Dan yes. Phil can come. She added if they want to film it, they were allowed to, stating this can be a special ultrasound. Because of this, many parents wanted to film it for memories' sake.

After checking in at the desk, Dan returned to sit next to Phil. They sat in silence, reading over a magazine that was left in Phil’s chair. That is until Phil asked, “Do you think we’ll find out if we’re having a boy or a girl?”

“I hope we did in a way, but it doesn’t matter to me what we have,” Dan said.

Phil nodded. “Thankfully if we have a girl, we’ll have Cornelia and Bryony to help, especially down the road.” 

“What do you mean?” Dan asked. Then realizing what Phil was referring to, Dan immediately added, “Never mind.”

Phil reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s stomach.

“Is the baby moving?” Phil asked.

“A lot,” Dan said. “Hopefully it will cooperate.”

Phil winced when he felt a particularly hard kick. “Are you going to be a football player?” He asked Dan’s belly. “Because you sure kick like one.” He asked Dan if it hurt.

“Depends on where the kicks……..” Dan trailed off as the baby kicked again. “Just don’t kick Daddy’s bladder little one.”

“About to go?” Phil asked.

Dan shook his head. “No, but if it kicks my bladder I might need to.”

Suddenly they heard, “Daniel Howell.”

Dan stood up with Phil and they followed the ultrasound technician. They entered the room where the scan would take place, Dan sitting down on the bed and Phil in the chair beside him. Since they were allowed to film it, they would decide after what to do with the footage, keep it for themselves, or put it in a video.

A woman entered the room closing the door behind her.

“Hi, I’m Amy,” She greeted. “I will be doing your scan today.”

“I’m Dan and he’s Phil,” Dan said, pointing to Phil when he said his name.

“And I see you’re here for the anatomy scan. Are you twenty weeks?’ Amy asked.

“Twenty-one weeks,” Dan corrected. 

“Alright, I’m going to enter in some information,” Amy said. She asked Dan questions just as date of birth and to confirm how to spell his last name.

Then Dan laid back on the patted bed. Amy offered him a pillow for his head, which he took.

“I’ll give you one to lay your back against. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. You can watch the screen on the television on the wall.” Amy pointed to the flat-screen television on the wall.

Adding the second pillow, Dan laid back again. “That’s much better,” He assured her.

“Alright, can you pull your shirt up for me? I’m going to give you a towel to tuck into your jeans and you can use it to clean off the gel when we’re finished.”

Dan pulled his shirt up, exposing his growing belly to the room, taking the towel Amy offered. Phil helped him get it tucked into his jeans.

Phil pulled out the camera, turning it on while Amy was getting set up.

“Okay, I’m going to squirt some gel on your belly, it might be a little cold,” Amy warned as she squirted the gel onto Dan’s belly. “Let me know if you ever need to take a break during this.”

Dan nodded. “Okay.”

Amy picked up the transducer, using it first to spread the gel before she placed it low on Dan’s abdomen. Phil pressed record on the camera, turning it facing the television on the wall. 

“Alright, so we are head down,” Amy said, as she started the scan, capturing the first image. “Here’s the head and over we have the bum.”

“Aw,” Phil cooed

Dan chuckled. “Nice.”

Amy clicked a few buttons on the control panel to capture the image. “So we’re over on your left side right now.”

“It’s weird to see it move and feel it at the same time. Is that the baby’s arms because I feel something there?” Dan asked.

“Yeah, the legs and feet are over here,” Amy pointed them out on the smaller screen. “And the arms aren’t far from there.”

“Okay,” Dan said, nodding.

Amy moved the transducer over an inch. “Come on little one move your head. Have you felt the baby move for long?”

“Since last week, but already if I’m leaning against something like the counter the baby kicks until I move. Phil pressed his hand on my stomach the other night and it kicked hard.”

“Aw,” Amy cooed. “So it’s moving a lot?”

Dan nodded. “All the time.”

Amy moved the transducer over to get a better image of the heart.

“So here’s the heart. Got a good heart rate,” Amy said, capturing the image. “We’ll listen to the heartbeat in a second. Heart rate is 145, that’s great.”

Amy clicked a few buttons. A whooshing sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

“Sounds good,” Amy commented as she captured an image of the heart with the heartbeat, adding it to the growing collection on the left side of the screen.

She moved the transducer over a little. “Alright, let’s get a look at the spine.”

The image on the screen Dan and Phil were watching was filled with a black and white image with what looked like the spine.

“Is that the spine?” Dan asked.

“Yes, it is,” Amy confirmed.

“Wow. That’s interesting,” Phil commented.

“It’s cool that you can see things like that,” Dan added.

“It is,” Amy agreed, capturing an image of the spine in different views. “There we go, all the way down to the bum.”

Phil chuckled.

“Is that a leg? I felt something there,” Dan asked.

Amy nodded, taking a few more captures. “It was. Alright little one, if you would stay still I’m going to try to get a 3-D of the spine.”

Amy clicked a few buttons. A 3-D image appeared.

“That is so cool,” Phil commented. “Is that the ribs?”

“Yeah,” Amy replied, capturing the image, clicking a few more buttons on the control panel. A second 3-D image of the spine appeared. “That looks more normal.”

“That is amazing,” Phil commented.

“Is that the ribs we’re seeing along the spine?” Dan asked.

“It is,” Amy confirmed. “I’m going to try to get another one near the bum. Just do a sweep of the spine.”

The boys watched as Amy captured the images, clicking buttons on the control panel. She moved the transducer over for a better view of the brain.

“Now, we’re going to look at the brain now. We’re going to look all throughout the brain and the structures of the brain.” Amy moved the transducer, capturing images. “Back here I’m measuring the cerebellum, the back part of the brain.”

Amy added the measurements before she captured the image. Once she captured it, she continued to scan the brain. “Since we’re back here, I’m going to measure the back of our neck.”

Amy labeled she was measuring the back of the neck, adding the measurements. “Alright, let’s get or try to get a 3-D of the brain.” An image popped up on the screen showing different views of the brain. “This is looking at different slices although out the brain.”

“Okay,” Dan murmured.

“So you can see the whole brain?” Phil asked.

“Yes, it fits in this one image, like one big picture,” Amy explained.

Phil nodded. “Gotcha.” 

“Now, we’re going to measure the head. First, ear to ear and then all the way around,” Amy explained. She labeled which measurement she was doing, added the measurements, and captured the image. She repeated the process when she measured around the head.

“That isn’t exactly what the head looked like. It’s not as squished as it looks. The television is widescreen, making it appear that way.”

“No alien child?” Dan asked.

“No, definitely normal,” Amy assured him and Phil. She moved the transducer over a little. “Now looking at little areas in our brain, measuring.” She captured the images with the measurements.

“Now, I’m going to try and look at the face,” Amy said, moving the transducer. A black and white blob appeared on the screen with freaky-looking eyes.

“It looks a little creepy,” Phil commented.

“The lens of the eyes makes it look that way,” Amy explained. “This is the front of the face, there’s the nose and lips.”

“Aw,” Dan cooed.

“Look at that,” Phil murmured. 

“Alright back to the face. Scanning the face, here’s one nostril, second nostril, front of the nose, top and bottom lip and chin.” She labeled each part she identified, capturing the image. “So all the little parts of the face. You can see the tongue here.”

“Yeah. Is it sticking out its tongue?” Dan asked.

“Yes,” Amy confirmed. “I’m going to capture this.”

Phil awed as Amy captured the image of the baby sticking out its tongue.

“Did anyone tell you that they drink the fluid in there?” Amy asked.

“We read about it on one of the pregnancy books or online somewhere,” Dan said.

“They drink it and pee it out and drink it again,” Amy explained.

“Really, they drink their own….” Phil trailed off.

“Yeah, I know it sounds very delicious, but they need to do that because it’s important for their lung development, for their swallowing just to name a few.” She moved the transducer over. “Now, we’re looking at the kidneys. We’re going to look at the blood flow going down the spine to the kidneys.”

Amy labeled the locations of the kidneys, capturing the image before she moved on to capture the image of the blood flow. She did a side by side image with one being clear and the second being with blood flow.

“Now, we’re looking at the diaphragm, the little area under our chest. The diaphragm moves up and down with our lungs.” She captured the image doing as she did with the brain making a slice image of the diaphragm appear on the screen. She captured the image, labeling what it was before she moved on to the next part.

“Now, we’re looking at the bladder, checking the blood flow around there,” Amy said, as she repeated the same side by side image as she did with the kidneys, one clear and one with blood flow. In the clear image, she added the label ‘BLADDER’. “The bladder is that little black spot here.” She pointed it out on the screen.

“Doing okay?” She asked Dan.

“Yeah,” Dan replied.

“There’s the cord,” Amy pointed out as she moved to the abdomen. “The cord is where the belly button will be. Good, you’re not hiding.”

Phil chuckled.

Amy pointed to a small black dot. “There’s the stomach.” She added a label and captured the image. “Now, we’re going to measure the waist.”

She got the measurement, labeled what she was measuring, capturing the image.

“Alright, we’ll get one more picture of that and measure. I’m surprised how well it’s cooperating,”

“We are too,” Phil said.

“I read somewhere that you might have to repeat the scan if they don’t get everything. Does that happen?” Dan asked.

“Not with my patients, but it’s not unheard of.” She moved the transducer down. “These are our leg bones, measuring the femurs,” Amy explained, clicking to add the measurements and capture the image. “Now, we’re going to look at the lower leg, it’s stretched out there. And kicking.”

“Did you feel that?” Phil asked.

“I did. I find it crazy that I can see and feel it kick at the same time,” Dan commented.

Amy chuckled as she captured an image on the screen. “Now, we’re going to look at our feet.”

“And it’s about to be under my ribs,” Dan said.

“Yeah, that’s where it will probably be heading,” Amy said, as she captured the image and measured the feet, labeling they were looking at the feet. “It’s funny how far up your stomach the womb goes.”

“What is it called for carriers?” Phil asked.

“It’s called a womb, but on the ultrasound, it looked like a uterus without the cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. There is a tube connected from the back that connects to the rectum. For the obvious reason, carriers’ birth by c-section as it’s safer for baby and Daddy.”

“That’s what Dr. Vick said when we asked about how it came out,” Dan commented.

The conversation turned back to the task at hand when Phil exclaimed, “Holy crap, it has your feet!”

“That’s your feet, mate,” Dan retorted.

“Do either of you have long toes?” Amy asked.

The boys answered at once.

“Dan does.”

“I do. Why?”

“Because it looks like the baby is going to have long toes,” she explained.

“Dan can use his toes to grip on to things like the remote to the television,” Phil informed her.

“I only did that once,” Dan defend himself.

“So, the baby will have Papa’s feet, but Daddy’s toes,” Phil commented.

Amy captured a few more images, adding labels when needed.

“Okay, we’re going back to the heart. Get a few more views of the heart, this time with the blood flow,” Amy said.

“Is that the red and blue we’re seeing?” Phil asked.

“Yes, that is blood flow,” Amy replied.

She captured a few images of the heart and the blood flow, as well as the heart without the heartbeat, but with measurements.

“Do you have a name yet?”

“Cameron. Since it’s a nongender name, meaning it can be for either a boy or a girl,” Dan replied.

“And we’re thinking for the middle name Nigel if it was a boy because that’s my dad’s name,” Phil added.

“Aw, how sweet,” Amy cooed. “Is this the first grandchild?”

“Yes, for both of our families,” Phil replied.

Amy nodded as she continued to capture imagines of the heart and the blood flow in different views.

“It’s nice to honor family members. We named my son after my Dad,” Amy explained. “I’m going to try and get a few more angles. That is the aorta. It provides blood to the lower half of our body from the heart.”

She captured the images in different views of the aorta with the blood flow. “And it looks like the blood flow is going where it’s supposed too.” She explained the location of the aorta. She added few more views of the baby without the blood flow, as it stayed still long enough for a profile shot.

“Alright little one, let’s look at your arms,” Amy said as she moved the transducer over. “So far the baby seems to be cooperating with me.”

“Hopefully it stays that way,” Phil added.

“Yes,” Amy commented. “There’s the right hand. There’s the thumb, index or pointer finger, middle, ring, and pinky.” She moved the transducer over an inch.

“There’s the left hand.” She added a label and pointed out each finger on the left hand. 

“It’s nice to know the baby has ten fingers and ten toes,” Phil said.

Amy nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“Is it waving it at us?” Dan asked.

“Oh my goodness, it looks like it,” Amy exclaimed. “I’m capturing this?”

She captured the image, adding a Hi There. “I forget to tell you that Dr. Vick will be getting this on a two-disc set, one has the stilled images the other will be the video part, like watching it as I’m doing it. We’ll give you a copy of this,” She informed.

Amy clicked a few buttons and the full image of the baby appeared on the screen. She captured the image, making a second one with a clearer picture.

“Aw,” Phil cooed.

“Hi there,” Dan murmured.

“This might be the last time, sweetie, we’ll probably be able to see your whole body in a picture. You’re getting much bigger. We’re going to see if we can get a look at the face, like the palate, upper mouth bone.” Amy captured the images. “I’m amazed it’s cooperating.”

“I am too,” Dan commented. “I thought it would be hiding from us.”

They watched the image on the screen as Amy captured a few more pictures.

“It’s crazy to see how much it’s moving,” Phil added.

“And let’s get a 3-D image of the baby,” Amy said, clicking some buttons. A 3-D image of the baby’s face and upper body popped up on the screen.

“Aw,” Dan and Phil chorused.

“That’s the placenta it’s leaning against. There’s the face and there’s the hand,” Amy said, pointing out features. “Still a little boney, but you still have time little one.”

“It’s got your nose,” Phil told Dan.

Amy captured the 3-D imagines and zoomed on the face. “Mouth’s open.”

“Looks like it’s trying to stick its hand in its mouth,” Phil said. 

“They can do the same things in the womb they do outside of the womb,” Amy explained. “Only when they’re first born, they have rediscovered things. Like their hands. When they discover their hands, it’s like where did that come from.”

She moved the transducer over. “Doing okay?” She asked Dan.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Alright, I’m going to get a few more imagines, and let’s see if the baby will continue cooperating to see if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Amy got the last pictures she needed, labeling what she needed to, measuring what she needed it. She then moved the transducer down a little way to get a view of in between the legs. 

“Okay, Let’s see what you are little one.” Amy murmured. She leaned back a little in her chair. “Well you are not shy are you?”

“Can you tell?” Phil asked.

“Yes, I can,” Amy said, capturing the image. Using the pointer on the screen, she inserted an arrow.

“And?” Dan prompted.

Amy paused for a second before replying, “It’s a boy!” She typed BOY above the arrow. 

“It’s a boy,” Phil repeated.

“Definitely a boy,” Amy said.

She went back over the scan, making sure she got the images and pictures she needed, capturing a few images she didn’t think she had. She removed the transducer wiping the gel off with a towel before tapping a few buttons to print off the pictures, collecting the discs from the machine.

Phil turned off the camera, putting it back into the rucksack he had brought with him.

While the pictures were being printed, Phil helped Dan wipe off the gel from his belly. When the gel was wiped off, he helped Dan sit up.

“Here you go, here’s the disc,” Amy said, handing a case to Dan. “And here are the pictures.”

“Thank you,” Dan said, as Phil helped him off the bed.

“You’re welcome.”

“Let me put these in here.” Phil opened a small compartment on the rucksack, putting the disc in first, then the pictures. Zipping it closed, he returned to the rucksack to his shoulder.

Dan and Phil left the room, following the directions to the exit. They didn’t speak to each other until they were waiting for the lifts.

They looked at each other before smiling at each other. Phil started laughing with Dan following a second later.

“It’s a boy,” Phil said.

“So the baby is officially Cameron Nigel Howell-Lester,” Dan noted.

Since they were at the hospital, they decided to go into Costa Coffee for something for lunch. As this is where they would be having the baby, Phil brought up the idea of testing the places they could go for something to eat at the hospital.

Dan agreed.

Phil went to order while Dan went to find a sit. While they normally preferred Starbucks, Costa was a great alternative.

Dan was checking his phone for texts and messages when Phil came to the table. He had picked a Jasmine Green Tea for Dan since it was something Dr. Vick approved. For him, he got a Fruit Infusion Tea. He got them both a Chicken Panini. Since Dan got pregnant, Phil was conscious about food safety, especially when Dr. Vick warned about the dangers of food poisoning during pregnancy. Dan didn’t mind it.

As they ate lunch, they discussed the scan, how nice it was to know that the baby was alright.

“Are you disappointed?” Dan asked.

Phil shook his head. “I didn’t care.” He handed Dan a napkin. “As long as the baby is healthy and you’re alright, that’s all that matters to me.”

Dan nodded, agreeing. When the thought came to him he asked. , “So how should we announce the gender?”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil woke up to an empty bed. Sitting up he listened for any sounds of Dan in the flat. He looked on the nightstand to find Dan’s phone was there.

“Dan,” He called. No answer.

Pushing back the duvet Phil jumped out of bed. He checked Dan’s old room, the kitchen, and the lounge before he went down to the bathroom.

He found Dan sitting in front of the toilet.

“I should be done with this,” He grumbled.

“Are you okay?” Phil asked, kneeling behind him.

Dan looked up, shaking his head. “I feel like I’m going to be sick again,” he groaned. “I should be done with the random bouts of sickness.”

“I read somewhere sometimes you could be sick at random times during the pregnancy, not just in the morning or after the second trimester. Some say they were sick the entire or off and on during the pregnancy. Maybe that’s what’s going on,” Phil mused.

Dan groaned.

“I’ll talk to Dr. Vick about this.” Dan leaned his head against Phil’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can handle this for the remaining………however long I have left.”

Phil reached over rubbing Dan’s back in soothing circles. “Do you want some medicine? I think we got some Pepto in the liquid.”

Dan shook his head. “It will just come back up.”

Phil nodded, getting up to get Dan some water. He came back with a cup of water and an empty cup. He handed the cup of water to Dan first. Dan took a sip of the water using it to rinse his mouth. He spit out the water in the empty cup and took another sip, this time swallowing the water. Phil took the cup to the sink, pouring out the spit out water, rinsed the cup, and returned to Dan’s side. 

“Are you sure you didn’t eat something that upset your stomach?” He asked.

Dan looked up at him, shaking his head. “You would be sick too if that was the case.”

Phil knew he was right. There were a handful of times they both got sick, only Phil would fight through the feeling of sickness to look after Dan.

“Are you ready to go back to bed?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded through a yawn. Phil helped him up off the floor, waiting for him as he used the toilet, wash his hands, splashed cold water in his face, and took another sip of the water before pouring the remaining water out.

He followed Phil up the stairs to the bedroom, heading to his side once they returned to the room.

“Try and get some sleep tonight,” Phil soothed.

“I will.”

Phil tucked the duvet around Dan, briefly rubbing his stomach, and returned to his side of the bed. He waited until he heard Dan’s even breathing before he went to sleep himself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

To announce the gender of Baby Howell-Lester, they decided to make a video, uploading it at the same time as the announcements on their social media accounts. Dan came up with the idea of using part of the anatomy scan when they found out the gender when the technician said ‘let’s see what you are little one’.

Phil had sent the clip over to Dan, who was putting together the announcement video. The anatomy scan was going on Phil’s channel while the gender reveal will go on Dan’s channel

Over the next few weeks, Dan captured their friends' and families' reactions at finding out the gender to put in the video.

He asked them to ask the gender first before they told them. Bryony and Wirrow were first, with only Bryony on camera. Then they did the same with Martyn and Cornelia, their manager Marianne, and their parents. They Skype called Cat, FaceTime with Louise, PJ, and Sophie to ask their guesses and to tell them the gender.

Bryony guessed boy while Wirrow guessed girl. Martyn and Cornelia both guessed boy. Marianne guessed boy, PJ guessed it was a boy while Sophie guessed it was a girl. Cat guessed boy, stating that she thought it might be a girl. Louise guessed girl but would be happy with a boy. Louise asked Darcy to guess what she thought it might be. She guessed girl.

Phil’s parents’ both guessed boy but said they would be happy if it was a girl.

Once they had the clips of everyone guessing the gender, Dan inserted the clip from the scan when they found out the baby was a boy. Once he added the clip, he pieced together the friends and family reaction, starting with Louise.

“Do you want to know?” Phil asked from behind the camera when they were on Skype. 

“Of course!” Louise exclaimed.

Dan held up the blue onesie. “Is it a boy?” Louise asked.

“Yes,” the boys replied in unison. Louise’s reaction was instant. She jumped up, screaming. 

“Oh, how exciting.” Darcy appeared in the corner, having heard the announcement.

“What do you think Darcy?” Phil asked. The little girl screamed happily, jumping making the boys laugh.

“I’m leaving that in,” Dan called over the noise.

Bryony’s reaction was similar to Louise’s. 

“It’s a boy,” Dan and Phil said in unison. Wirrow burst out laughing while Bryony jumped up, screaming.

“Is it really?” She asked.

“They’re sure,” Phil replied.

Marianne just smiled saying “Congratulations.”

Cat’s reaction was one of the best. When Phil held up the blue playsuit, she gasped, covering her mouth. “It’s a boy!” she exclaimed. “So exciting!”

Martyn and Cornelia’s was one of their favorites. When they showed them the playsuit, Cornelia gasped, cupping a hand to her mouth while Martyn laughed.

“Is it really?” He asked.

“They’re sure, he wasn’t shy,” Phil confirmed.

“Aw, a little boy,” Cornelia cooed.

PJ and Sophie’s was another favorite. Sophie’s jaw dropped upon seeing the blue playsuit while PJ through his head back and laughed. When he stopped, he asked, “So it’s a boy?”

“Yeah, they’re sure it is,” Phil told him.

They added Grimmy even though he didn’t guess earlier.

“A boy,” He said. “How exciting.”

As a surprise, Dan managed to get his Mum’s reaction. He had picked a blue blanket to tell his Mum and Grandma. Veronica’s reaction was included in the video.

Karen pulled out the blanket, gasping, covering her mouth, while Veronica laughed happily.

“It’s a boy?” She asked.

“It’s a boy,” Dan confirmed.

To Dan’s surprise, Karen burst into happy tears. “A boy,” she said, laughing.

“Were you hoping for a girl?” Dan asked.

Karen shook her head. “I didn’t care, either way, as long it’s healthy.”

Phil’s parents’ reaction was at the top of the list of their favorite reactions. Phil gave them two boxes off-camera, telling them to wait until he told them to open the box.

“Okay, you can open them,” Phil told them off-camera.

When they opened the boxes, Kathryn gasped while Nigel burst into laughter pulling out the blue onesie as Kathryn picked up the playsuit.

“It’s a boy!” She exclaimed, laughing at the end.

“Aw. A boy,” Nigel said.

The clip ended with a picture of the announcement that went on their social media accounts.

“And it’s done,” Dan said once he finished editing and set it to upload.

“Next up we might to a name reveal,” Phil suggested. “And we’ll tell Mum and Dad before they go home.”

Dan nodded agreeing. “So it’s definitely Cameron Nigel Howell-Lester.”

Phil nodded. He leaned over, laying a hand on Dan’s belly. “What do you think of the name, little man?”

He kicked in response.

“Are you hungry?” Phil asked in a baby voice.

“I am,” Dan replied.

Phil chuckled. “Alright, let’s go feed both of you.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dan sighed. He couldn’t sleep. It was one of those nights where he couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning. Phil would wake up, asking if he was okay. He always woke up after noticing Dan was awake. He would ask if he was okay since the bout of the flu Dan had that November following their move to London.

If Phil woke up, he would make him a cup of tea, a glass of warm milk, or rub his back or belly to help him sleep.

Dan turned in the direction of the fan he had sitting on his side of the bed. Sighing again, Dan sat up carefully. Phil had a sense of when Dan would be up and would wake up. He wanted to get some sleep so one of them looked rested when they met with Marianne tomorrow.

Sitting his feet on the floor Dan pushed himself up. Rubbing his eyes he glanced at the small alarm clock Phil had on the dresser. It stated it was fifteen to three.

“Great, just what I needed.”

Dan quietly padded to the door opened softly and Dan slipped out the door. He went into his old room, which was just as warm as Phil’s, well his and Phil’s room. They were thinking of turning Dan’s room into the nursery, leaving the iMac set up for Dan to still use the space for filming and liveshows. They were still deciding what to do.

He changed his t-shirt for a fresh one, feeling significantly cooler.

He left his old room, heading to the bathroom. He relieved himself in the toilet, washed his hands, and splashed cold water in his face. He was reaching to turn the light off when he caught a glimpse of himself.

He had dark circles under his eyes. His hair was wild from sleep and curled. He would need to shower again in the morning before leaving for the meeting with Marianne. Dan didn’t recognize himself. Although he knew it was himself looking back himself.

Turning the light off, Dan walked up the steps as he turned to head back to the bedroom his stomach growled.

“Are you kidding me? Now?” He muttered to himself. 

The nausea that seemed to have plagued him was gone………for now. He still had moments of feeling sick, but nothing like he did in the early days. Phil still couldn’t make coffee without Dan gagging. Dr. Vick told him that he should return to normal after birth. Phil hoped that was true. Dan had been having decaf coffee in the morning and Dan wasn’t an easy person to live with without caffeine.

He walked into the kitchen, pushing the glass door open, turning on the light. He opened the door to the cabinet he knew they kept snacks. He collected a box of cream crackers. They were like the crackers Cat called saltines crackers she gotten him when he felt sick at Vidcon. He knew he was pregnant, but they hadn’t told anyone yet. Only he and Phil knew.

To go with the crackers, he collected the seedless strawberry jam and a jar of peanut butter. He spread the jam and peanut butter on the crackers, poured himself a glass of milk, and headed into the lounge. He turned on the television. An old episode of Mrs. Brown’s Boys was on. He ate his snack as he watched television, sipping his milk.

When he finished his snack, he laid down on the sofa. As the episode ended, he fell asleep.

Phil woke up to find Dan’s side empty. He got up to go look for him, figuring he was in the lounge. He found Dan asleep on the couch. He tossed a throw blanket over him, kissing his cheek and returned to the bed, happy to know Dan was getting some sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kathryn and Nigel sat in silence watching the footage of the anatomy scan. Phil had given them a copy of the scan on DVD. It wasn’t as animated as the boys thought, but Kathryn still wanted a copy for herself. They were all in awe of the scan. Martyn and Cornelia were watching on the other side of the sofa, awing at the images of the baby.

“Isn’t it amazing,” Kathryn commented. “You can see what it’s going to look like really clear.”

“It is,” Cornelia agreed.

Kathryn had commented it had been a while since the boys came to visit and they made a trip to London, which after the baby is born, they would be making frequent trips to London. She even offered to stay with them for a month after the baby was born to help with the adjustment. Dan and Phil didn’t need to think twice about accepting, agreeing that she could come to stay until they were settled in with the baby.

“How precious,” Kathryn cooed when the baby waved at them,

Phil had cut out the part where they revealed the name, but it was included in the video they uploaded to YouTube on his channel. His parents hadn’t seen the full video yet, so the surprise wasn’t ruined.

“So, do we have a name yet?” Martyn asked.

“We do,” Phil said. “Can we tell you when it’s over?”

“Yeah, we can wait,” Kathryn said.

They watched the rest of the video in silence with only Kathryn cooing at the baby or Cornelia awing at certain parts. When the video finished, Phil closed out of the video player and unplugged the laptop from the television.

He turned to his parents. “So Dan and I picked the name. We had decided on the same first name that was gender neutral and picked a gender-specific name for a boy and then for a girl depending on what the gender of the baby was. We went with the name we picked for a boy.”

“What did you pick?” Kathryn inquired.

Phil looked at his father as he said, “Cameron Nigel Howell-Lester.”

Martyn looked at his father as Phil said the name. There tears forming in Nigel’s eyes. Kathryn gasped, cupping her hands to her mouth.

“Really? You’re naming him after me?” Nigel’s voice shook with emotion.

Phil nodded trying to hold back tears. “I wanted to honor you, Dad. Martyn and Corn don’t plan on having children, so I thought we would name our first son after you.”

Nigel stood up, walked over to Phil, pulling him in an embrace. He sniffed as he whispered, “I’m honored, Son.”

Kathryn wiped her eyes as she stood up, taking a turn in hugging her youngest son. When they parted, she walked to Dan. She hugged him first before laying her hand on his stomach where she had felt the baby move again.

“Cameron, this your Grammy,” She said. “I love you already. So very much.” Then she pressed a kiss to the side of Dan’s head.

“Thank you,” She whispered.

“For what?” Dan asked.

“For giving me a grandchild.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time seems to be flying by. It’s time to start planning for baby, making sure they are prepared for their son. And more testing occurs making sure Dan and Baby Cameron are healthy.

Time seemed to be flying by. It seemed Summer in the City was yesterday. Now it was September. It was good to see their friends, catch up, and update everyone on the pregnancy. At the time, they didn’t know the gender. Everyone guessed what Baby Howell-Lester was going to be. Many asked Dan how he was doing, while others were amazed at how well he was doing. They were given a few gifts for the baby, mostly stuffed animals, and non-gender-specific colored blankets and muzzling clothes.

Phil seemed to be surprised by how well Dan was doing with the pregnancy. He confided in PJ while they were waiting to go on for the Dan and Phil Live at SITC 2014 on-stage event. PJ told him to tell Dan his fears. He did when they got home that evening. Dan suggested they talk to Dr. Vick at his next appointment.

Once Summer in the City and the anatomy scan was behind them, it was time to wrap up the Radio Show. Dan and Phil both had mixed emotions about it. There was excitement for the new show and the chance to have more free time. Then there was a bit of sadness. The Radio Show was the reason they took the leap and moved to London. They were slightly better off financially but not that rich.

Since Dan progressed in his pregnancy, he began to have some back issues when standing for a long period of time. Phil had taken to pushing Dan in a rolling desk chair when they were at the BBC. Dan complained at first but then decided to milk it for all it was worth. One of the producers had even gotten him a chair to sit in if he got tired during the radio show.

They celebrated the last show with a rare dinner out to a restaurant with their producers. 

When they came to work the following Monday, it felt odd to be there on a weekday even though they had been there on other days besides Sunday before. But this was different. They were doing the first show that night. 

It had gone off without a hitch. When it was over, Dan and Phil decided to celebrate with dinner out before they went home, continuing the celebration when they went home. Phil had asked Dr. Vick about having sex during pregnancy which made Dan cough awkwardly. Figuring Dan didn’t know Phil was going to ask, he chuckled before explaining as long as they were safe, it should be fine.

That was all Phil needed to know. And it helped when Dan’s hormones made him feel randy which Phil didn’t complain about.

The next morning they returned to the BBC. Even though they wouldn’t be hosting the show again until the first Monday in October, Victoria asked to meet with them to discuss the show, go over the ratings, and began the prep work for the next show. Phil was thinking about doing a Halloween special since it was October.

They were almost done when Dan’s phone buzzed. He was going to ignore it until he looked at the ID. Dr. Vick was calling or rather his office was calling.

“Sorry, I have to take this, finish without me,” He said, as he left the room.

Phil finished the meeting before he went to find Dan. He had slipped into the empty conference room, sitting down in one of the chairs. Phil kneeled in front of him, taking his hand.

“What is it, Dan?” He asked.

“That was Dr. Vick. He was calling with the results from the blood tests I had done earlier last week and the anatomy scan,” Dan explained.

Phil felt his heart rate speed up, swallowing thickly.

“And?” Phil prompted.

Taking a breath Dan began. “All the blood tests came back fine. Everything looked good on the scan.”  


“And the Down syndrome test, that was a blood test right?” Phil inquired.

Dan nodded. “It came back negative. He said we should have a healthy little boy.”

Phil released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He smiled, pulling Dan into an embrace.

“Are you as relieved as I am?” Phil whispered.

Dan nodded against his shoulder “Of course.”

Phil smiled, reaching down to lay his hand on Dan’s belly. He felt Cameron kick his hand. “Papa is glad that you’re okay,” he said to the bump.

“Are we done?” Dan asked.

“We can go,” Phil confirmed. “Want to go somewhere for lunch?”

Dan nodded as he stood up. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”

“I picked last time. It’s your turn.” Phil led them to the lifts.

Dan thought for a second. They were close to Oxford Street, where Dan knew one of the many Boots locations. He wanted Starbucks’s Five Cheese Toastie so he didn’t hesitate to say “Starbucks?” 

“That works since we need to go to Boots for more stomach soothers. We’ll go to the one close to here.” 

They left the BBC, heading to the coffee shop down the street. They ordered their meals quickly since they knew what they wanted, and waited. Dan ordered his Five Cheese Toastie with an Iced Shaken Green Tea while Phil ordered the BLT with an Iced Shaken Green Tea Lemonade.

“So I’ve been thinking,” Phil began, opening his straw. “Since we have some time on our hands I’ve been thinking about starting a new channel.”

Dan looked up at him as he put his straw through the lid on his drink. “Really?”

Phil nodded. “We’ve talked about starting a gaming channel and why not now?”

“Are you sure? What about after I have the baby?” Dan picked up his toastie, taking the first bite.

“We can film around his schedule. We could even get one of those seats or play mats for the office to put him on while we’re filming. Or we could ask Bryony to come over and watch him if we need too. She’s already offered to babysit as did Corn and Martyn, who I think we can get while we’re at the radio station,” Phil explained, picking up one half of his sandwich.

Dan sipped on his green tea. “Ellie has also offered to babysit. Maybe we can get her to watch the baby.

“We could,” Phil agreed. “I know the timing of starting a new project isn’t the greatest with you pregnant, but we can make it work.”

“We worked around it for the radio show. We’ll have more projects next year and we’ll work around the baby.” Dan took a bite of his toastie. “Besides, we can make our own schedule to a degree.”

Phil nodded agreeing. “Do you think we can do it with a baby?”

“Others did it before we did,” Dan reminded him. “You know yourself if Louise could she took Darcy with her.”

“True,” Phil said, taking a drink of his green tea lemonade. “Mum wants to come and stay with us for about a month or longer after Cameron is born. Is that okay with you?”

“Considering I’ll be recovering from a c-section, I think it’s a good idea. My mum could if she didn’t work,” Dan said. “Though I imagine she’ll be making trips to London on the weekend.”

Phil chuckled. “I could see that.”

“A plus to Kath coming to stay with us after the baby is born is you won’t be run ragged. I know I’ll be limited on what I can do if the videos we’ve watched on c-sections are anything to go by, and I think it would be a great help to you.” Dan took a drink of his tea.

“Mum said when she had Martyn, Grandma stayed with her and Dad for the first two weeks to help out. She wanted to offer the same for us, only she’ll be here for a month. Dad said he could stay with Martyn and Cornelia or go on home to Isle of Man. I think he’ll be staying with Mart and Corn because I can’t see him leaving without Mum.”

Dan nodded. “You know we’ll have to make a decision soon on Playlist. It’s in February next year. I mean I know we’ll go because I’ll be recovered enough by then, but do we take him or let your Mum keep him.”

“We’ll need to look into traveling with a newborn and decide from there.” Phil finished his sandwich, taking a drink of his green tea lemonade.

“I’m ready, are you?” Dan asked, finishing his toastie and green tea.

“Yeah, let’s go to Boots. I think the list is on my phone.”

They left Starbucks, walking down the street to Boots.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dan walked into the University College London Hospital alone for an appointment. Today was the Glucose Tolerance Test. He was also having more blood work done. Dr. Vick explained that carriers had frequent blood work to make sure everything was fine during their pregnancy. Even though he had been here before, he followed the signs to the Phlebotomy department. Upon reaching the department, he pushed the door open for the Outpatient entrance.

“Hello, can I help you?” a woman behind the desk asked.

“I’m here for a blood test,” Dan explained, handing her the paper with the order from Dr. Vick.

“Okay, can you verify your date of birth for me?” She asked.

“June 11th, 1991,” Dan said.

“And do you have your NHS card with you?”

Dan pulled it out, having had it in his pocket since he knew he would need it. She checked it, entering it into the computer. She handed it back to Dan. He returned it in the pocket in his wallet.

“Okay, they will be with you shortly,” She said. “They will start with the blood first. Then another nurse will take you for the Glucose Tolerance Test.”

“Thank you,” Dan said, heading to sit down. He pulled out his phone, using some data as the hospital’s WIFI didn’t reach here, but he still had service. He checked Twitter while he waited, reading over the Tweets about the gender reveal video.

Everyone seemed to be happy for them. He even got a text from his brother saying ‘Congratulations. I can’t wait to meet my nephew.’

It had taken some time from them to get to this point. While they weren’t as close as they were before, they were getting there. That was all Karen could hope for. Veronica texted Dan a picture of some of the things she had bought for the baby. It wasn’t much, but somehow she had managed to find a collection of Winnie the Pooh stuffed toys.

They were all there: Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. She had even found a newer edition of the books, and said she would bring it when they got the room ready.

He and Phil decided to make Dan’s room part nursery part filming space for Dan. He had been looking at cots online. Kathryn and Nigel said for them to pick one and they would buy it. It would be their gift to them and Dan imagined Kathryn would have more than just a cot for them.

With all the information they had been reading about newborns, how to take care of them, what they were supposed to do, and needed to do. It was all too much that Dan felt like his brain was going to explore with the overload of information. He and Phil would discuss it at length, changing the subject when Dan started to feel overwhelmed. Phil made a point to not make Dan overstressed, overwhelmed, or overworked. He was worried about what that could do to the baby.

Dan sighed, putting his phone back into his pocket.

“Daniel Howell?”

Dan stood up when his name was called. He followed the nurse into the back for his blood test. They made small talk as she got things set up, cleaning the area, and applying the tourniquet. They were quiet as she inserted the needle into the crook of Dan’s arm. She removed the tourniquet while holding a cotton ball in place. Dan took it to allow her to get a piece of tape to apply to the area.

“Alright, you’re all set for this one,” She said. “How far along are you?”

“Twenty-four weeks,” Dan replied.

“Do you know what you're having?”

Dan nodded. “Having a boy.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Dan murmured as he followed her back to the waiting area. “I’m also scheduled for a Glucose tolerance test.”

“A nurse will come to get you for that from the same waiting room you waited for the blood work,” She explained.

“Thank you,” Dan repeated. He returned to the waiting room. He barely sat down when he was called back for the glucose tolerance test.

“Hello,” She greeted. She asked him to verify his birthday date again and his name this time. He answered her, following her to the room where they would do the glucose test.

“Just to verify what are you here for?” The nurse asked as she led Dan to the back.

“Glucose tolerance test, I think is what Dr. Vick called it,” Dan replied, following the nurse into the lab.

“I see that here,” The nurse said as she looked at the order she found in Dan’s file. “Are you fasting?”

“Yes,” Dan answered. “I had to have blood work as well.”

The nurse nodded.

The first blood sample didn’t take that long to do. If Dan didn’t know any better, he was having his usual yearly blood tests that with his checkups with Dr. Brewer, the GP he and Phil sees. Phil had an appointment with him that morning. He would meet Dan here after his appointment. Dan’s test would take two hours and at least Phil could keep him company while they waited to test his blood again.

They wouldn’t need to wait for the results. Dr. Vick would call him when they came in if they came in before his next appointment.

“Alright, do you want lime or orange?” She asked.

Louise had told Dan when she asked if Dr. Vick ordered a gestational diabetes test or a glucose tolerance test, to pick the orange. It was better tasting than the lime, even though neither of them was that great testing. 

“Orange,” Dan decided.

He took the bottle from the nurse, listening to her instructions of drinking the 8oz bottle. Then they would wait two hours and test his blood again.

Louise had recommended drinking it as fast as he could, but not too fast. She added ‘don’t drink it in one go’.

Dan managed to drink in three go’s giving the nurse the empty bottle when she came to check on him. She led him to the small room where he could wait the hour to have the blood redrawn. He sighed when the nurse closed the door.

He had thought to bring his rucksack, so he could bring his MacBook and headphones. Least he could get some editing done while he waited.

The door to the room he was in opened. Phil slipped in, closing it behind him.

“I will need to tell Louise you forget to mention that the stuff you have to drink makes you want to gag,” Dan said, in place of a greeting.

Phil winced sympathetically. “That bad?”

Dan nodded. “How did your appointment go?”

“Good, he asked about you. I told him you were pregnant. He asked how you were doing. I told him how you were. I told him we’re having a boy. Heather will call me later with the results of my blood work. We’ll find out yours when we see Dr. Vick next right?”

Dan nodded. “Next week. Heidi called me yesterday with the appointment.”

They discussed the plans for the day once they left the hospital and get breakfast somewhere while they waited. Phil mentioned some editing he needed to do. Dan mentioned a video he needed to film. He also mentioned he needed to go shopping again for some pants. Bryony had offered to fix them to look like maternity pants. Dan had given her three pairs, deciding to buy two more for after the pregnancy.

The nurse returned to collect Dan to repeat the blood work. It didn’t take long to do it at all, but they did wait another hour before they left the hospital.

“Dr. Vick will get the results. He’ll call you to let you know the results of the tests,” the nurse explained.

“Thank you,” Dan said, as he left the room. He collected Phil from the waiting room and together they left the hospital.

“So where do you want to go for breakfast?” Phil asked as they returned to the street.

“McDonald's?”

Phil shrugged. “Let’s go.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil wasn’t expecting to come home from a dentist appointment to find Dan crying at an RSPCA advert. But that’s what he walked into when he stepped into the lounge. Dan had dried tear tracks on his face, telling Phil this wasn’t his first crying spell since he been gone. And this wasn’t the first time since Dan’s pregnancy he cried. He cried at nearly everything. He cried in frustration when he tried to get a video uploaded, but YouTube decided to make it difficult. He finally did, only to cry again, this time because he felt bloated and ugly.

Hormones. Dr. Vick explained to Dan and Phil that like pregnant women, carriers have pregnancy hormones and their hormones can make them do crazy things.

If Phil was honest with himself he was happy to deal with a crying Dan instead of a moody Dan.

Dan’s mood swings were a roller coaster ride. He went from crying to sad to raging in a matter of seconds.

“When did you get home?”

Phil sat down on the couch, pulling Dan to him. “About five minutes ago.”

Dan nodded. Phil reached around Dan, laying his hand on his belly.

“How’s he doing?”

“Alright, he’s moving a lot.”

Phil felt his son move under his hand. It was a feeling he was getting used to when he laid his hands on Dan’s stomach. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to Dan.

“Have you seen the comments on the video for the gaming channel?” Phil asked.

He and Dan started the gaming channel last week, starting with a Donkey Kong game. They addressed Dan’s pregnancy for those who weren’t aware of the first video. It had prevented a lot of the comments being on Dan’s now noticeable bulging stomach.

Dr. Vick had explained that carriers can show sooner than most pregnant women. A lot of their subscribers knew Dan was pregnant and didn’t comment negatively on Dan’s oblivious growth. Phil had posted a picture of Dan on Twitter with the description halfway there when he was twenty weeks. He had to pull his shirt back show the bump then. Now, he didn’t have to, it was there.

“What are you in the mood for? Phil asked.

Dan had been deciding most of the meals as of late. They had Chinese last night and had leftovers in the refrigerator. That is if Dan hadn’t eaten it already.

“I’m thinking maybe pizza. I’m craving Texas Barbeque. Maybe some wedges and cheese sticks,” Dan decided.

Phil nodded, agreeing. He went to change while Dan ordered the food on Domino’s website.

Once the food arrived, Phil went to collect it. When he returned, he found that Dan had pulled up an episode of _Breaking Bad_ that they hadn’t seen. They ate in silence watching the show, only talking to ask to pass the kitchen roll or for more Coke.

“We have Cookie Dough ice cream if you want some for dessert,” Phil said.

Dan nodded in agreement. “Sounds good to me.”

When the show went off, Phil cleaned up the mess from the pizza. He put the leftover pizza on a plate, covering it with cling film, putting it in the fridge. He threw out the boxes and empty Coke bottle. He added kitchen roll to the list on a pad Dan had put on the fridge for them to keep track of what they needed to order from Tesco or to pick up.

He then got the ice cream from the freezer, fixing two bowls. He took them into the lounge, handing one to Dan.

“Dr. Vick’s office called while you were out,” Dan began. “The blood work came back fine and my Glucose test was negative.”

“Good,” Phil sighed.

“And we’re scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday before my appointment with Dr. Vick,” Dan explained. “He said that he wanted to check on Cameron and see how’s he’s doing. Make sure that everything is alright.”

“So we got the appointment with Dr. Vick on Monday. Then we have that meeting with Victoria on Tuesday. Martyn wants to meet on Wednesday to discuss the merch we want to start with.” Phil took the bowls back to the kitchen.

Dan got up heading down to the bathroom. He started to set up the shower before he went to collect a clean pair of boxers and pajamas. While he was in the shower, he heard a phone ring. He didn’t think it was his as it was off and charging in their room. Phil must have answered it as he heard him talking.

He was finishing up when he heard Phil come down the stairs. He opened the door as Dan wrapped a towel around his waist.

“What’s wrong?”

“That was our neighbor downstairs,” Phil began. Sirens in the distance interrupted what Phil was going to say. Dan quickly dried off and dressed. He and Phil went to the windows in the lounge. They watched as the ambulance stopped in front of their building.

“As you were saying,” Dan said.

“He wanted to warn us that they had called an ambulance. He didn’t say what was wrong, but he wanted to warn the neighbors.”

Dan cursed softly. “Hopefully everything is okay.”

Phil nodded, agreeing.

They watched as the paramedics entered the building. Phil watched while Dan brushed and dried his hair. He was coming back into the lounge when Phil said they were coming out with a patient on the chair.

“I hope that I don’t have to call for one for you when we have the baby.”

Dan snorted. “I think we won’t have anything to worry about. Dr. Vick said that most likely I’ll be a scheduled c-section.” 

The ambulance pulled out into the late evening traffic, sirens blaring.

Phil walked away from the window, Dan following a minute later. They walked upstairs to the office where they looked at games to play in the gaming channel. Phil had a list of games they could play and had been searching Amazon for games. There were a few places in London to purchase games from.

Dan yawned as Phil was explaining the Sims 4.

“Should we go to bed?” Phil asked. Since Dan had progressed in his pregnancy, he was tired, exhausted most days.

Dan nodded. The one time Dan had tried to stay up, he had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Phil helped Dan to stand up and lead him to the bedroom. Once he got Dan settled into bed, he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and use the toilet. As he returned to the bedroom, he checked the front door, turned off the lights, and shut down the computers. He went into the bedroom to find Dan already asleep.

He pulled the duvet over Dan before he turned off the light. He climbed into bed, laying down, and then reached to kiss Dan’s forehead.

“Good night, Dan.” Then he leaned down, kissing Dan’s stomach. “Good night, Cameron.”

For the first time since Dan got pregnant, Phil slept through the night without a nightmare.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dr. Vick’s office was empty when Dan and Phil entered the waiting room. Dan went to the desk to check-in while Phil went to sit down. The weather was rainy. The taxi had stopped near the entrance near the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson wing. Dr. Vick was affiliated was University College London Hospital, as well as a few other hospitals. Dan and Phil had decided to have the baby at UCLH. They had started to make the arrangements with the hospital since Dan was approaching the third trimester. The risk was preterm delivery was high. Even though Dan’s pregnancy wasn’t high risk, carriers had a high risk of preterm delivery, which was why they were more closely monitored than a pregnant woman.

Sitting down beside Phil, Dan sighed.

“Are you alright?”

Dan nodded. “I need to go, but we have the ultrasound first.”

The door leading to the back opened and a nurse stepped out. “Daniel Howell?”

Phil helped Dan to stand up, as the bump made it difficult for Dan to stand up on his own. They slowly made their way to the nurse. They followed her to the ultrasound scan room.

The technician was setting up the machine. “Hello,” She greeted. “My name is Terra and I’ll be doing your scan today.”

She confirmed Dan’s information, checking Dr. Vick’s order before she asked Dan to lie back on the bed.

“So how far along are you? 

“Twenty-five weeks.”

“Alright, love. Lie back and we’ll see how little one is doing,” Terra said.

Dan laid back on the bed, pulling up his black shirt, tucking the towel around his pants and hem of his shirt. The gel was warmer this time when it was applied to his abdomen. Soon he and Phil were watching the screen.

Unlike the last ultrasound, this one wasn’t long. It was more of a quick check to make sure everything was okay and to confirm the negative results from some of the tests Dan had.

“Do you know what it is?” Terra asked.

“It’s a boy,” Dan replied. “We’re naming him Cameron.”

“Aw, that’s a cute name,” Terra commented. “From what I can see Cameron is doing fine. He’s on track for his development and I don’t see any problems.”

She checked Cameron over one more time before she removed the transducer and flipped the towel ducked into Dan’s pants onto his belly to wipe the gel off.

“So the baby looks great. He’s measuring where he should be, his development is on track. He weighs an estimated 1 in half pounds or 1.5 pounds. I’ll take you to meet Dr. Vick in the exam room.”

Once Dan was sitting up, his stomach cleared of the gel, shirt pulled back down and, they followed Terra to the exam room to wait for Dr. Vick. Before Terra left, she asked, “Do you need to go to the restroom.”

“Yes,” Dan sighed.

Phil waited in the room while Dan went to the restroom. When he returned, Phil asked, “Feeling better?”

Dan nodded. “Much. They also weight me before I came back. I gained ten pounds since my last visit.”

“That’s good,” Phil assured him. “I read that’s normal.”

They didn’t have to wait very long for the doctor because there was a sudden knock on the door and Dr. Vick entered.

“Hello,” he greeted. “How are we doing?”

“Tired,” Dan replied. “Hungry constantly it seems like and he’s been moving a lot.”

“That’s good. Usually, fetal movement at 25 weeks has become more noticeable—and you’re probably noticing some patterns. When you’re feeling lots of kicks, the baby is awake, and when you’re not, they’re likely snoozing. Regular movement is a sign of a healthy, active baby. If you haven’t felt the baby move in a while and you want some reassurance that everything is okay, drink some ice water, play some music or have your partner give you a light massage, and your little one might just wake up and give you a few jabs.”

Dan nodded. “He’s woke me up a few times.”

Dr. Vick chuckled. “That’s common.” He sat down on the stool that was under the desk. “Now I know we’ve made arrangements for the c-section to be performed on the eighth of January which is your due date. If you were to go into labor before then, which is common and nothing to worry about, then you will come on into the hospital. Unless we feel that it’s an emergency and that Cameron will be better out then in, we’ll proceed with an emergency c-section. If you and the baby aren’t in any distress, we’ll monitor you closely until a theatre is open.”

“If I do go into labor what do we do?” Dan inquired.

“Call me or call the office. Depending on the contractions or if you had a water breakage, I’ve had that happen to carriers, I or the nurse will tell you what to do. Call me first before you call the office. You have the office’s number as well as my contact number correct?”

Dan nodded. “Will I be able to have pain relief?” Dan asked.

“Of course, we want you to be comfortable. There is no telling how long you would have to wait for a theatre to open and I don’t want you to lie in bed, suffering. If we need to, we’ll do the epidural.”

“If Dan was to have an emergency c-section, would I be able to accompany him to the theatre?” Phil inquired.

“Unless we have to use general anesthesia, you would be allowed to come back with Dan. If we have to put him to sleep, which I hope we don’t have to, you’ll have to wait in the waiting area.”

Phil nodded. “And if we do have the schedule c-section can we film it?”

“I’ve had patients who asked to film it and I don’t see a problem with that. Will it be you or someone else?”

“My brother will,” Phil answered. He and Dan had talked about filming the birth, whether or not they would put it on YouTube they hadn’t decided. If anything it could be for their own memories. Martyn had volunteered to film it.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. He’ll have to suit up to come with us.”

“Okay,” Phil murmured.

“Alright, so I’ve read over the report from the ultrasound. Everything looks great. But let’s still have a look,” Dr. Vick said.

Dan laid back on the padded bed, pulling his shirt up again.

Dr. Vick began with palpation, feeling Dan’s abdomen, and looking for the baby. When he found the baby, he checked the position.

“Everything feels good. Now let’s get the fundal height,” Dr. Vick commented, as he picked up the measuring tape. He felt along the top of Dan’s abdomen, finding the top of the womb that was housed inside Dan’s belly. Then he found the pubic bone. He took the tape, placing one end near the pubic bone and the upper half where he felt the top of the pouch.

Then he turned the tape around. “Measurements are on track. You’re where you need to be for twenty-five weeks.”

Lastly, he checked the baby’s heart rate. He got the Doppler, reminding Phil it had been a while since he used the one he had purchased for themselves. Soon they heard the baby’s heart beating.

“Sounds good, heart rate is 140. Within the normal range,” he noted.

As Phil helped Dan to sit up, Dr. Vick made notes of his findings in Dan’s file. “So everything looks great. The baby is healthy. You’re healthy. We’ll do another scan around thirty-two weeks. We’ll see you again around then as well. If you have any concerns, questions don’t hesitate to call.”

Dan and Phil nodded. “We will,” Dan said. “Thanks, Dr. Vick.”

“You’re welcome. See you in a few weeks.”

Phil helped Dan step down from the couch and they left the office after scheduling the next appointment.

“Walk or taxi?” Phil asked.

“Taxi,” Dan decided. He smiled at Phil as they waited. Phil smiled back.

It was a relief to know the baby was healthy, on track with development, and that he was okay, doing well growing inside of Dan. Phil was relieved that Dan was okay and healthy. He hoped it stayed that way.

Now that Dan was twenty-five weeks, it meant they had another fifteen to go until they were a family of three. Phil just hoped that everything remained the same that it did right at this moment for the next fifteen weeks.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was around midnight when Phil shut down the computer in the office/gaming channel room where he was browsing the internet for more games for the gaming channel. He had a few in mind just needed to find them and purchase them. He had checked a few off the list, adding more to it, but wanted to talk to Dan before he pulled the trigger and purchased them. Like with any project, Phil didn’t want to make a decision without consulting Dan.

He stretched when he stood up, pushing in the chair. He collected his mug from a cup of tea and headed for the door, turning off the light before bringing the door almost to a close.

He stopped in the kitchen, rinsed the mug before putting it in the dishwasher. They would do the load in the dishwasher in the morning. The landlord was coming sometime that week for a check. Dan had decided to dedicate tomorrow to cleaning the entire flat. Phil had texted Louise to ask if it was too early for Dan to be nesting. She replied in saying ‘no and don’t even bother moving anything. He’ll move it again’.

Leaving the kitchen, he turned off the light, leaving the glass door open.

He entered his bedroom to find Dan asleep already and snuggled into the duvet. He had left a lamp on for Phil.

Phil stood at the foot of the bed, watching Dan sleep. He hadn’t gotten much over the last week with Cameron suddenly moving more and being active. While it was a good thing, reassuring that Cameron was alright, it was annoying that Dan couldn’t sleep. It was nothing for Phil to find Dan asleep on the sofa or at the desk in the office/gaming channel room.

Smiling at his boyfriend, he climbed in on his side, getting under the duvet. He snuggled close to Dan, wrapping his arm around him, resting his hand on Dan’s belly.

Sighing, Phil felt content in the world. He reached over to kiss Dan’s cheek, careful not to wake him up.

When he remained asleep, Phil snuggled closer to him before going to sleep, dreaming happily of the little boy who would enter their lives in a few short weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The information Dr. Vick tells Dan and Phil about the fetal movement before he talks about C-sections, comes from pregnant.thebump.com


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan is now approaching the third trimester and time seems to be speeding along. A special ultrasound Phil had scheduled where they would see a 4D picture of their baby with Dan’s Mum and Grandma in tow. Phil goes to visit his parents, leaving Dan alone in the flat. Will everything be okay?

September ended with Zoe’s Beauty Launch party. It was nice to catch up with Louise, Zoe, Alfie, and the other YouTubers at the party since they hadn’t seen a few of them in a while. When Zoe came to check on them, she assured them there were pregnancy-safe snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Zoe had other pregnant friends attending the party. Because of that, she had accommodated them with the snacks and drinks they could have.

She and Louise commented on how good Dan looked.

They told their friends the gender of their baby if they didn’t already as well as what they were planning on naming the baby.

“That is a cute name,” Louise commented.

“Nigel is after my Dad. Cameron was a name Dan and I both liked.” Phil glanced over at Dan who was talking with Zoe and Tanya.

The party was a good time. It was nice to see their friends despite the fact Dan and Phil wasn’t a fan of socializing. Phil mentioned how nice it was to see everyone when they were in the taxi.

On the first Monday of October, Dan and Phil met with Victoria to discuss the show that evening. The first Monday show went off without a hitch.

The new schedule was something Dan and Phil were getting used to. They found they had time to do other things they wanted to including working on new projects. Like the gaming channel. They had started the Sims 4 series, creating Dil and his home with the owl slide. So far, the gaming channel was a hit with their fans. When they played Mortal Kombat Trilogy, they made it a Dan vs. Phil, another series of videos they started.

Now they had settled into the new routine.

One evening in October, Phil noticed something.

“Is it just me or is your bump bigger?”

Dan looked down at his stomach. He looked like he had stuffed a large balloon under his shirt. He looked at Phil questioningly, then back to his bump.

“I think you just noticed,” Dan commented. He was approaching the final trimester and Dan was counting down how much longer he had to go.

“I think I did,” Phil murmured as he went into the lounge. Dan went to the toilet, the one downside he considered of pregnancy. He felt like he lived in the toilet.

When he walked into the lounge, Cameron kicked. “Are you kicking me because you like to or are you trying to tell me something?”

“Is he kicking or moving?” Phil asked.

“Kicking,” Dan answered. “Hard.”

Phil reached over, laying his hand on Dan’s belly. He felt Cameron move under his hand, a feeling he was still getting used to. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like for Dan. When he rubbed Dan’s stomach, he could feel Cameron move or kick under his hand. He had heard Kathryn comment that he was an active child in the womb. It appeared Cameron was just as active.

Dr. Vick commented on it during Dan’s last appointment. When he felt around Dan’s abdomen, he felt Cameron move around. He even kicked against his hand when he tried to measure the baby.

“Looks like he’s going to be an active baby.”

Phil rubbed Dan’s stomach, feeling their son move under his hand. “Reckon he’ll cooperate when we have the ultrasound next week?”

Karen was coming to visit next week. She had mentioned going with Dan and Phil to an appointment Phil had made a centre that did 4D ultrasound. Phil had found it on a Google search after he had seen some 4D ultrasounds. Thinking it would be interesting to see a 4D Cameron, Phil talked to Dan about booking an appointment. Dan agreed. It was after the appointment was made that Karen told Dan that she was thinking of coming to visit. He mentioned the appointment and Karen changed her travel arrangements to allow her to attend the appointment. 

“Hopefully he will,” Dan said.

For dinner, they met Bryony and Wirrow at the new Thai restaurant in London. Phil had looked up pregnancy-safe foods Dan could order. It was nice to catch up with Bryony and Wirrow, showing them the latest scans, and updating them the progress they were making preparing for Cameron’s arrival, turning Dan’s room into the nursery. Dan would still use it as a filming location, only his bed wouldn’t be in the background. A cot would be in its place.

“It was nice to catch up with Bryony and Wirrow wasn’t it?” Phil asked, moving his hand around Dan’s stomach, rubbing soothingly.

“It was,” Dan agreed. “Keep doing that.”

Phil smiled softly. He had found since getting together with Dan that anytime he rubbed his stomach, it relaxed him. Now that he was pregnant, Phil was always touching Dan’s belly so he could feel the baby. It was a bonus that belly rubs relaxed Dan, helping him sleep. Plus it relaxed Cameron. He would often go to sleep when Phil rubbed Dan’s stomach, helping Dan get some much-needed sleep.

“We need to pick a cot,” Phil murmured.

Dan sighed. “It’s a difficult decision. I meant he’ll be in this for a while won’t he?”

Phil pulled his MacBook into his lap, pulling up the link one he had been looking at.

“No lie, I’ve been looking at that one,” Dan chuckled.

“Mum has too. She sent me a link to this one asking what we thought of it.” Phil sat the MacBook down on the coffee table

“Have you read any reviews?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded. “Yeah, they’re pretty good. What do you think?” 

“Let’s go with that one,” Dan decided. “We also need a mattress.”

“Mum already bought it. She said she ordered the best one on the market.” Phil stood up to take the empty cups from where he made tea to the kitchen. “She has it at the house and will send it before they come to help us get things ready.”

Dan paused mid-stretch. “I didn’t know they were coming to help get things ready. I thought just Martyn was coming over to help you.”

“Dad wants to come and help. Mum told him he wasn’t coming without her. But that will be the second week of next month. They’re coming straight here after Dad’s appointment in Manchester.”

Dan stood up to go down to the bathroom. “It will be nice to see them since I’m not going with you to see them in a few weeks.”

“You still can come,” Phil willed.

“I would if I didn’t have appointments,” Dan reminded.

Dan went to the bathroom for a shower while Phil took the cups to the kitchen, rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher. He looked at the sink, imaging it filled with baby bottles needing to be washed.

Looking at the list of things they needed for Cameron was slightly overwhelming. Some of it their friends and family were purchasing, but a lot of it Dan and Phil needed to buy. When he last went to Boots, they had an offer on nappies. Not knowing what size to get, he got one pack each of the smaller sizes.

When he went to pay, the girl at the till told him if he purchased the wrong size, they could either bring it back for an exchange or they could donate it to a charity that helps new mums.

Dan didn’t question it when he picked them up carrying them to their storage cupboard. 

Phil was brought back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find brown eyes looking back at him.

“What is it?” Dan asked.

Phil shook his head. “Just thinking.”

As he went to the bathroom for his shower, Phil realized in a few short weeks life was going to change.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

“Welcome to London Ultrasound Centre,” the receptionist greeted. “How may I help you?”

“We have an appointment for a 4D ultrasound,” Dan replied.

“Name?”

“Daniel Howell.”

She nodded as she typed into her computer. “Ah, here you are. Just have a seat. It will be a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Dan said, turning to join Phil in the waiting area. He sat down in the loveseat while Karen and Veronica sat down in the plush armchairs.

“I’m excited,” Veronica commented.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Cameron. Did you say this was a 4D ultrasound?” Karen asked.

Dan nodded. “Yeah.”

Phil laid his hand on Dan’s stomach. “Is he moving a lot?”

“Yeah, he is,” Dan replied, moving Phil’s hand. 

“Daniel Howell?”

Phil stood up first, helping Dan to stand up. When Dan was standing up, Karen and Veronica followed them.

“Hi, my name is Mindy. I’ll be doing your scan today,” Mindy explained.

She led them to a room directing Dan and Phil to the couch, adding Phil can sit in the chair beside the couch. Karen and Veronica sat down on the loveseat, nearby.

“Now, are we here for a routine scan or one for fun?” Mindy asked.

“Our doctor didn’t have the 4-D option and we decided to look into it. When I found this place, I made an appointment,” Phil explained.

“And since we can bring more than just us, we invited my Mum and Grandma,” Dan added.

Mindy turned to Karen and Veronica. “Is this your first grandchild?”

“Yes,” Karen replied.

“My first great-grandchild,” Veronica added.

“If it’s okay, we’re going to FaceTime my parents because they live away from London,” Phil said.

“That’s fine,” Mindy assured him. “Are we ready to get started?”

“Yes we are,” Dan replied.

“Alright, laid back on the bed and lift up your top, please,” Mindy directed. “I’ll give you some towels to go around your clothes.”

Dan lied back against the pillows, on the slightly reclined couch, allowing him to sit slightly up. Mindy got him a pillow for his back. Phil helped him reposition to get the pillow in the right place and helped him pull his shirt up, baring his abdomen. At first, Dan felt self-conscious about baring his stomach with his mother and grandmother in the room, but now he didn’t think anything about it.

Once Dan was situated, Mindy applied the gel. “It might be a little cold,” she warned.

All eyes went to the big screen on the opposite wall. Soon the image of the baby was seen, making Karen and Veronica coo.

“Isn’t it amazing how advanced technology is?” Karen asked. “They didn’t have this when I was pregnant with Dan.”

“It’s something how you can see what they’re going to look like,” Veronica added.

“And he’s officially got your nose,” Phil told Dan. Karen looked at the screen, noticing the same thing.

“I think you’re right, it looks like Dan’s nose.”

“When they did the anatomy scan, Phil guessed he had my nose,” Dan explained to Mindy, who nodded knowingly. “And it’s confirmed.”

“I say he’ll look like Dan, but with Phil’s hair,” Veronica guessed.

“I figured you wanted another curly-headed little boy,” Dan said.

Veronica chuckled. “I’m only guessing.”

The conversation paused as they watched the video. Suddenly Kathryn’s voice was heard. Everyone forgot that she and Nigel were on FaceTime.

“Look at that,” She said. “Isn’t that amazing Nigel?”

“It is.”

“I didn’t know they were there,” Karen commented.

“They were on mute until now,” Phil explained.

Everyone awed when Cameron lifted his arm, holding his hand out to wave.

“Hi Cameron,” Kathryn greeted.

“Is that his name?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah, we picked it before we found out the gender because it’s a non-gender-specific name,” Dan explained.

“Is he sucking his thumb?” Nigel asked.

“I think he is,” Phil confirmed.

Karen leaned forward. “Is his eyes open?”

“They look like they are,” Mindy said.

The room went silent as Cameron moved, kicking his feet. Karen chuckled. “Looks like he’s going to be an active baby, you were active in the womb so it doesn’t surprise me Cameron is.”

“Sorry Mum,” Dan said, making Veronica giggle. “If you felt like anything that I’ve been feeling then I’m sorry.”

Kathryn and Nigel chuckled. “Phil was active in the womb as well. He liked to kick,” Kathryn added.

Dan glared at Phil. “What I didn’t know that!” Phil exclaimed as everyone chuckled.

Dan sighed. “If we both were active, I guess he’s going to be active.”

Mindy moved the transducer to get a better view of Cameron’s side view. Karen and Kathryn awed as it looked like Cameron raised his hand over his face.

“He did that during one of the scans at Dr. Vick’s office,” Phil noted. “He doesn’t keep it there long, but it seems like he knows when we’re looking at him and he’ll do that.”

Kathryn awed. “It’s like he’s waving at us. Doesn’t it Nigel?”

“It does,” Nigel agreed. 

“Hello there, little one,” Veronica said to the screen.

“I just can’t get over how advanced technology is?” Karen commented. “I didn’t have this when I was pregnant with neither of my boys.”

“I agree Karen,” Kathryn added. “It’s interesting to see what the little one will like.”

“And he’s going to be a cutie,” Veronica added.

Cameron moved, kicking his feet. Dan winced.

“Did he kick you?” Phil inquired.

“Yeah, he just did.”

“I caught it,” Mindy said, moving the transducer. “It looks like he is going to be a healthy little boy. How far along are you?”

“Twenty-seven weeks this week, I think,” Dan replied.

Mindy nodded. “He looks good.”

“Did Dr. Vick say that you’ll move to once a week appointments when you reach 28 weeks?” Karen asked.

“30 weeks,” Dan corrected. “He said it was common with carriers to move to weekly doctor appointments at 30 weeks.

“Okay,” Karen murmured.

Mindy asked Dan how he was doing, making sure he was okay. “We can pause if you need too,” She assured him.

“I’m alright,” Dan replied.

Karen pulled out her phone to take some pictures. “I’ll send you a few of these Mum,” She said to Veronica.

“I’ll give you a disc when we’re done,” Mindy said. “Do you want two extra copies?”

“Yes,” Phil replied. “I know Mum will want a copy.”

“As do I,” Karen commented.

“You’ll also get print outs of the pictures of what I’ve captured,” Mindy explained. “We’ll do an overall body scan and then we’ll be done.”

The scan continued. Karen, Veronica, and Kathryn awed as Cameron sucked his thumb, stuck out his tongue, and kicked. Mindy captured a few more imagines before she finished the scan. She handed Phil some towels to help Dan clean the gel off of his stomach.

“Okay, I’ll print off the pictures and get your discs. Then you’ll be good to go.”

Phil helped Dan clean off the gel on his abdomen before he helped him to sit up. Phil handed the phone to Karen so she can talk with Kathryn, discussing the plans for the nursery, and reviewing what Kathryn and Nigel were getting and what Karen was getting. Dan and Phil guessed that Cameron was going to a spoiled baby.

“Slow,” Dan reminded him. “You’ve helped me sit up by pulling me up a few times and I nearly came off the couch.”

“Once that happened once,” Phil commented as he helped Dan sit up, helping him pull his shirt down.

Mindy returned with their pictures and three discs, each having a copy of the scan on them. She handed them to Phil.

“Here you go. Here are the pictures and the discs. Hope everything goes well for the rest of your pregnancy,” Mindy said.

“Thank you,” Dan and Phil said in unison.

They left the room, stopping by the desk to pay for the services and Dan filled out a form to sent copies of the scan to Dr. Vick, signing the form to permit them to send it to his doctor.

When they stepped out into the waiting area, Karen and Veronica were waiting. Before they were going back to Wokingham, Karen and Veronica were going to lunch with Dan and Phil before they went shopping. They decided to go to Zizzi’s as Dan had been craving the garlic bread they had. On the way to the restaurant, they talked about the scan, how nice it was to see Cameron, and have a clear picture of what he might look like when he’s born.

Karen smiled at the thought of her grandson. She could picture him. A splitting image of Dan, but with Phil’s eyes, hopefully, though not his eyesight. She did hope that he inherited Dan’s curly hair.

“Mum, everything okay?” Dan asked.

Karen smiled, nodding. “Everything’s fine. Thank you for inviting me and Grandma to the scan. I enjoyed it.”

Dan smiled back, knowingly. “You’re welcome, Mum.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

“Well, it’s official. I’m in the third trimester,” Dan said, entering the kitchen.

Phil paused from tossing a salad he was making to go with the stir fry he was warming up from the night before. He pulled out his phone, checking the pregnancy app he had on his phone, the same one Dan used on his.

“We’re reaching the end,” He said, returning his phone to the pocket of his hoodie. “We’ll need to prepare a hospital bag in case Cameron decides to come early.”

Dan opened the refrigerator to get himself a drink, selecting Ribena. Phil handed him a glass. He had just finished unloading the dishwasher and had not put up all of the glasses yet.

“When is your appointment with Dr. Vick next?” Phil asked.

Dan checked his phone since his calendar is synced with the one on his MacBook. “After you get back from your parents,” he said.

Phil nodded. “You’ll be thirty weeks then won’t you?”

“Yeah and that’s the start of the weekly appointments.” Dan sipped on the squash as he returned the bottle to the fridge.

“I read that Cameron should recognize our voice,” Phil said, as he plated the food. “And that he has hiccups and taste buds.”

“Interesting,” Dan commented. “That was twenty-seven weeks, last week. Twenty-eight weeks said……..” Dan pulled his phone out, opening the app. “During the third trimester the brain triples in weight adding billions of new nerve cells. Senses of hearing, smell, and touch are developed and functional. Your baby is having different sleep cycles, including rapid eye movement, meaning he’s dreaming.”

Phil picked up the plates, carrying them out of the kitchen. “That is interesting to know he can smell, hear, and touch. What can he touch in there, though?”

“Do you think I know?” Dan asked, following Phil into the lounge, carrying their drinks. “I didn’t know babies dreamed in the womb. What do they dream about?”

Phil turned on the television, turning on _Sherlock._ They sat in silence with only the television for noise, as they ate. The episode was a rerun, but one that the boys had missed seeing.

Dan got up to get himself a second helping of food, even though Phil had given him a large portion. Since he had passed twenty-five weeks, he noticed that he was hungry more. He ate more at meals and ate often. He did try to watch what he ate since a few times he had woken Phil up in the middle of the night for indigestion. They kept every medication for upset stomach or indigestion on hand, more so now with Dan pregnant.

“Was it good?” Phil asked when Dan came back in.

“Yeah,” Dan replied, sitting down beside him, putting the plate on the coffee table to pick up the glass to get a drink.

Phil had asked Dr. Vick if Dan’s new eating habits were normal. Dr. Vick explained that it was normal, but cautioned Dan on being careful what he did eat, sticking with foods that were on the safe to eat list, although Dan did have a few things that weren’t on the list.

When _Sherlock_ went off, Phil turned it to watch an Anime they had seen before, if anything for background noise. He took the dishes to the kitchen, telling Dan to stay on the sofa and rest.

“I’m not moving,” Dan assured him.

Ever since Dan found out he was pregnant, Phil had taken on doing more of the housework. Dan still did a few things, but he found in the evening it was Phil who would clean up the kitchen, take the dishes to put them in the dishwasher, and Dan would sit on the sofa and rest.

Dan leaned back into his sofa crease as good as he could with his belly.

“I look like I stuck a large balloon under my shirt,” Dan murmured. He laid his hands on top of his abdomen, feeling Cameron move around under his hand. If he pressed his hands on his stomach, Cameron would hit against his hand.

He got up from his sofa crease, heading to the toilet. “I might as well move into the toilet,” he grumbled as he wobbled down the stairs.

He did his business, heading into the bathroom to wash his hands. When he finished he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. He turned to the side, pulling his shirt up. Thanks to a cream Phil had found during one of his trips to Boots, Dan didn’t have a lot of stretch marks. Or at least ones that were noticeable.

Dr. Vick had mentioned it during one of Dan’s appointments and Phil searched for it. He used it when he would lightly massage Dan’s abdomen.

“Everything okay?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded. “I look huge.”

Phil smiled softly, approaching Dan. He walked behind him, laying his hands on Dan’s belly. Dan laid his over Phil’s.

“You’re not huge,” Phil whispered. “You’re carrying our child. I think you look beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that,” Dan murmured.

“Daniel, I’m serious,” Phil said. Dan knew he was when he used his full first name.

Dan nodding, knowing he should agree with Phil. This wasn’t the first time Dan had complained about his weight gain and it won’t be the last as he has at least twelve weeks to go.

Phil pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “What do you say to a bath? Candles, bubbles, soft music, I’ll even massage your back.”

Dan sighed. “How can I say no to that?”

Phil smiled, pressing another kiss to Dan’s cheek and set about getting the bathroom ready and fill the tub. Phil took any advantage at pampering Dan. Dan never said no. After all, Dan is doing the hard work of carrying their child. It was the least Phil could do.

As Phil prepared for the bath, he realized how soon they wouldn’t have time for things like this. Unless, they got someone to watch the baby for an hour, and who would do that just so they can have some time to themselves in the bathroom. Plus, they would probably be so exhausted that they wouldn’t even be thinking of alone time in the bathtub that wasn’t designed for two people over six feet.

So Dan and Phil were going to take advantage of any time they could have like this before Cameron came into the world.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil leaned over Dan, pushing back some stray hair from his eyes. He was trying to keep from waking him up but had failed when he saw Dan’s eyes open slowly.

“Hey, I’m going,” Phil whispered.

“Tell Kath and Nigel I said hi,” Dan said his voice still heavy with sleep.

“I will. Text me, call me, FaceTime me, Skype me, anything while I’m gone. Especially if……..”

“Phil, I don’t think I’ll be going into labor,” Dan interrupted. “But if I do, you’ll be the first person I call.”

“Okay,” Phil breathed. “Go back to sleep. I’ll lock the door behind me.”

Dan nodded. “Text me when you get there,” he requested.

“It might be FaceTime. Mum might want to see you,” Phil informed him. “But I’ll let you know when I get there.”

Dan nodded, sitting up to properly hug Phil. They embraced, hugging for a little longer than usual. With Dan being so close to the end of his pregnancy, Phil was worried about leaving him alone. Bryony promised to look in on him, making sure he was taking care of himself.

“I love you,” Phil whispered, as he kissed Dan’s forehead.

“I love you too,” Dan replied.

They kissed, hugged once more before Dan laid back down. Phil tucked the duvet around him, kissing his cheek once more and then quietly slipped out of the room. He collected his suitcase, his jacket, and quietly walked down the stairs. He paused the door for a moment before he opened it, stepped out into the hallway, and closed the door, locking it behind him.

Up in their room, Dan turned on his other side, sighing. He laid his hand on his belly, feeling Cameron was awake.

“Papa will be home in a few days,” he said to the bump, although it was more a reminder to himself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dan sighed as he sat down on the sofa. Phil was gone visiting his family for a few days. Dan stayed back due to an appointment with his therapist and the dentist. Dan also needed to edit and upload the videos they had filmed for Spooky Week on the gaming channel. He also filmed him playing Outlast and uploaded it on the same night. 

Phil had called him to check on him a few times since he arrived at his parents’ house.

Dan laid his hand on his side feeling Cameron move and kick.

“I miss Papa. Do you miss Papa?” Dan asked, rubbing his stomach, feeling Cameron kick under his hand.

He got up from the sofa, heading to the office to check the comments on the video he just uploaded. It was the first video he had filmed by himself and in the dark to boot. He was afraid of the dark. Phil didn’t think he would do it, but he would be surprised when he checked YouTube to find that Dan had filmed himself playing Outlast in the dark. As he read over the comments his phone dinged. He checked it, seeing that Phil had texted.

It said, ‘Are you okay?’

Dan pressed Phil’s contact, putting his phone to his ear as it rang.

“Hey,” Phil greeted when he answered.

“I’m alright,” Dan blurted.

“Good to know, I was thinking about you and wondered if you were alright. Mum and Dad said hi. I showed them the cot we picked and it’s ordered. It will be delivered to the flat. We showed my grandparents the last scan. They said they couldn’t wait to meet Cameron. Speaking of, how’s Cameron?”

“He’s fine. He’s been moving, kicking a lot, and I noticed something.” Dan turned the phone to FaceTime. “When he moves I can sometimes see his foot or at least I think it’s his foot. He’s doing it now.”

He lowered his phone down to his stomach, pulling his shirt up. A moment later, a foot could be visibly seen.

“Does that hurt?” Phil asked.

“No,” Dan answered, raising his phone to his face and lowering his shirt.

Phil asked the usual question he asked when was gone and called to check on Dan. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet.”

Dan moved down to the kitchen, keeping Phil on FaceTime so he could fix himself some food. He was warming up leftover Chinese, sweet and sour chicken, lo-mien noodles, and rice with vegetables.

“Warming up leftovers?” Phil guessed.

“You had Kath’s roast tonight didn’t you?”

“Yeah, she said she’ll make another when we visit next month.”

The microwave dinged. Dan collected the food and picked up his phone to head into the lounge. He had already a glass of coke in the lounge.

Dan sat down on the sofa, sitting the phone down on the table. Phil had fixed himself a bowl of cereal so technically they could have ‘dinner’ at the same time, even though Phil had already eaten.

“Was it scary?”

Dan knew what Phil was talking about. “It was. If we ever play it again, it’s going to be during the day and with you,” Dan said, with a tone of finality.

“I saw it after you uploaded it. I can’t believe you played it in the dark,” Phil commented.

Dan snorted, chicken hovering in front of his mouth. “I know and I edited it in the dark as well…..and did the liveshow.” He popped the chicken his mouth.

“I saw it too. I didn’t sign in under my account. I used my anonymous one so the chat wouldn’t be filled with ‘Phil’s watching!’” Phil scooped some cereal into his mouth. “How was your appointment?”

“Good,” Dan replied. “We talked about anti-depressants again, nailing down which one I’ll try first. I’ll go on it once I have Cameron and I’m not on any pain medication because I don’t think you can mix it.”

“We made the right decision to wait until he’s born for you to go on it I think. Cameron’s health is more important, as is your mental health……”

Dan cut him off. “But if there is something I can prevent happening to him, I’ll do it. I know there aren’t major risks of taking anti-depressants during pregnancy, but I’ve heard things happen to babies and…….” He trailed off.

“Knowing we could have prevented it would have stuck with you for the rest of our lives and every time you looked at Cam. I know,” Phil soothed.

“And I had no cavities if you’re wondering,” Dan added, moving on to the dentist appointment. “I did ask out of curiosity if he saw children, which he does because why else would there be a play area in the waiting room with those bead things on a pole. He told me he can see Cameron when he’s ready which I think he said should be around the time he’s one.”

Phil nodded. “I think we need to look for a Paediatrician.”

“I’m asking Dr. Vick at my next appointment if he has any recommendations.” 

“When is that?” Phil asked.

“Next………” Dan trailed off as he opened iCal on his MacBook. He clicked on his calendar he used for appointments. “Next Thursday at 2 PM.”

Phil nodded, as he opened his MacBook, opening iCal to add the appointment. “Is this the first of the weekly appointments?”

“Yeah.” Dan sighed leaned back against the sofa. “Hard to believe it’s almost over.”

“Looking forward to it?” Phil inquired.

“Well, I’m looking forward to not being pregnant. But I’m starting to feel nervous about the c-section,” Dan admitted.

“What’s making you feel nervous?”

“I know we’ve watched videos on it, but it’s going to be me lying on a table having my stomach cut open,” Dan said.

“You’re not going to be alone,” Phil reminded him. “I’ll be with you. Unless they have to put you under general anesthesia, then I’ll be in the waiting room with your Mum and my parents.”

“Hopefully that won’t happen,” Dan said, wincing as he felt Cameron kick him in the spleen.

“Did he kick?” Phil asked.

“Yeah,” Dan breathed. “Don’t ask any questions if you see a black X on our calendar in December.”

Phil chuckled. 

They talked about YouTube things, BBC things, other work things, Merch things, and what they needed still for Cameron and what the plans were so far they needed to finalize. Kathryn was coming to stay with them for the first month or six weeks. Playlist was going to be in February next year. Dan should be recovered and Dr. Vick would have cleared him to travel by then. Kathryn would stay if they did go to watch the baby. But after Kathryn went home was what they needed to sort.

Bryony would be available to babysit, but a friend of theirs Ellie was a certified Nanny. Dan and Phil were thinking about asking her to babysit for them when they were working. The one thing Dan and Phil realized in looking at their schedule so far for 2015, they would need help in child care.

Dan yawned.

“Are you tired?” Phil asked.

“I’ve been tired for weeks,” Dan replied. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep over the last few weeks.

“Why don’t you go on to bed, it’s getting late. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Phil soothed.

Dan nodded, yawning again. “Alright, I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

When they hung up, Dan sighed. Looking down at his growing bump, he laid his hand down on his stomach.

“Papa will be soon.”

Dan didn’t know if he said that to assure the baby or him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil opened the door to the flat, sitting the duffle bag and suitcase he took with him on the bottom steps. The duffle bag he had borrowed from his dad to bring home some gift his aunts and grandmother had given them for the baby. At this rate, they wouldn’t need much between what his family, Dan’s family, and their friends would give them. But there was still a lot they needed to get.

Closing and locking the door behind him, he picked up his stuff and climbed the stairs. Putting his bags down in the hallway, he looked in the lounge finding it empty. He went to his and Dan’s bedroom. He found Dan asleep.

Smiling softly, Phil approached the bed quietly. Sitting down on the side, he reached over, pushing away stray hair from his face. Dan shifted but didn’t wake up.

Phil leaned over kissing his forehead before leaving the room, collecting his suitcase. He moved it to his and Dan’s room. He took the duffle bag into the baby room/Dan’s filming room.

He collected pajamas and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. As he was washing his hair, he thought back to a comment his grandma made.

“I can’t wait to meet the little guy.”

Phil had promised that Dan would come with him next time. They would go sometime in November before Dan couldn’t fly or they would take the Ferry. It would be something they would ask at Dan’s next appointment with Dr. Vick.

Finishing up in the shower, Phil turned off the water. He dried off, dressed, and left the bathroom. He would have brushed his teeth, but he wanted a snack. He made himself a sandwich and was going to go into the lounge when Dan walked into the kitchen.

He was wearing one of his new shirts that would fit his growing stomach.

“When did you get home?”

“A little while ago,” Phil answered. He met Dan in the middle of the kitchen kissing him before he hugged him. Well, as good as he could with Dan’s belly.

“How’s he doing?” Phil asked, laying his hand on Dan’s abdomen, feeling Cameron move under his hand.

“He’s good. We missed you,” Dan said.

“I missed you. What’s been going on around here?”

Dan filled him in as Phil made Dan a sandwich when he asked if he wanted one. Phil nodded as Dan told him about talking with Sharon about his concerns about raising Cameron. He didn’t want to repeat his childhood with Cameron or rather he didn’t want to be the father his was to him.

Carrying the plates with their sandwiches, Phil walked towards the lounge while Dan carried a bottle of Ribena for them to share. Once they were settled on the sofa, Phil turned on _America Horror Story_ on the television. He handed Dan his sandwich and his glass of Ribena.

He smiled as he watched Dan eat his sandwich, feeling happy to be home. While he enjoyed visiting his family, he enjoyed coming home to Dan more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The information about 28 weeks comes from americanpregnancy.org


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan has reached the third and final trimester. Visits to Dr. Vick are now once a week. Dan and Phil go shopping for the remaining things they need for baby Cameron. An episode of Braxton Hicks makes Dan and Phil realize how close they are to having their son. Are they ready?

November started with the first of the weekly doctor appointments with Dr. Vick. To the amazement of the staff at Dr. Vick’s office, Phil had yet to miss an appointment. He accompanied Dan to everything, only missing a few blood draws. But then he would meet him after. Phil had learned from one of the nurses that many carriers come alone without their partner.

Dan felt like he was lucky to have Phil all the more after hearing that.

Phil opened the door to Dr. Vick’s office, holding it open for Dan. He approached the desk first to sign in before he took a seat beside Phil.

“So when we’re done here, want to get something for lunch somewhere?” Phil asked.

“Sure,” Dan replied. “You can pick. I’ve picked the last three or four times.”

“Daniel?” One of the nurses called from the door.

Phil helped Dan to stand up, together approached the nurse. She led him back to the small room where she checked weight, blood pressure, and pulse.

“Alright, step up here,” She directed once Dan slipped off his shoes. Dan had gotten to where he didn’t even want to look at the number.

“Okay,” She said.

“Do I want to know?” Dan asked. She told him the results, making Dan wince.

“That’s not too bad,” She assured him.

She checked blood pressure and pulse, writing down the results on a chart, putting it in Dan’s file. 

“Anything Dr. Vick needs to know. Do you have any pain, contractions, or bleeding?” She asked.

Dan shook his head. “The only pain I have is back pain, but Dr. Vick has already been made aware of it. My partner is a hypochondriac.”

“Say no more,” She chuckled. “I live with one myself. Dr. Vick will out to get you in a moment.”

“Thanks.”

Dan returned to the waiting room, sitting down beside Phil. “I’m going to kill you.”

“What was this time?” Phil asked, looking up from his phone.

“I gained another ten pounds. I’m going to a whale after I have this baby,” Dan grumbled.

“Or you’ll look like you did before you were pregnant,” Phil added.

Dan glared at him. “This is your fault.”

“I’m not the one who’s on birth control,” Phil said.

Sighing Dan leaned his head back. “Sorry, I’m just tired of being pregnant.”

“Ten more weeks,” Phil reminded him.

Dan nodded, hissing when he felt Cameron kick his ribs. “And I hope it flies by.”

Phil reached over, rubbing Dan’s belly. “Cameron, this is your Papa talking. Stop kicking Daddy in the ribs.”

A moment later, Dan said, “He heard you.”

Dr. Vick stepped out of the door leading to the back where the exam rooms were. He looked around the room until he found Dan and Phil.

“Dan, come on back,” he said.

Phil helped Dan out of the chair, muffling a chuckle as he watched Dan waddle to the door. They followed Dr. Vick to an exam room. Dan sat down on the exam couch while Phil sat down in the chair beside him.

“So how are we doing?” Dr. Vick asked, closing the door behind him.

“Good. I still have some back pain. Soaking in Epson salts seem to help. I think your nurse told Phil that,” Dan said.

Dr. Vick nodded. “And it also has the effects of relaxing you to be able to sleep. Has that improved?”

“Some,” Dan answered. “Cameron kicks me sometimes early in the mornings. Then I can’t seem to go back to sleep.”

“What time is that usually?” Dr. Vick inquired.

“Four, five o’clock in the morning, but he’ll settle around seven, and sometimes I can go back to sleep, and other times I get up.”

Dr. Vick nodded. “So now you’re thirty weeks, correct?”

“Correct,” Dan murmured.

“The good news is we’re almost there unless the little one decides to make his appearance sooner. By week 30 many of your baby's vital organs are fully mature. If he were born now his chances of survival would be much higher than they would have been just a couple of weeks ago, though he would still need a lengthy stay in special care.”

“So he should be fine if he were to be born within the next ten weeks before his due date?” Phil asked.

“He should,” Dr. Vick assured him. “Sometimes they need oxygen to help them breathe, they might be on a tube to feed them, but the chances of him surviving are higher. Meaning if he were to be born within the next week or so, he’ll go home around his original due date. Though, preemies often are delayed, depending on how early they were born and they could have for the lack of a better term, disabilities that will be with them for life. That doesn’t mean it will happen. I’ve delivered babies preterm and they are didn’t have any disabilities, but they were delayed. Preemies catch up with the average baby around age two.”

Dr. Vick paused to allow that information to sink in before he continued. “And your sleeping problems aren’t uncommon for thirty weeks. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but sometimes the symptoms from earlier in the pregnancy return.”

“Such as?” Dan asked. “And please don’t say morning sickness.”

“Unfortunately, morning sickness is one of them. That doesn’t mean it will happen though,” Dr. Vick soothed.

Phil winced sympathetically. Dan had horrible morning sickness that seemed to linger. They both were relieved when it finally went away in the middle of Dan’s second trimester.

“Do you have any questions or concerns at this time?”

Dan shook his head. “No,” he said.

Dr. Vick nodded, approaching the examination couch, pulling the lever to recline the couch.

“Alright then, lie back and let’s have a look at the little guy,” Dr. Vick directed.

Dan laid back on the reclined couch, pulling his shirt up, exposing his growing belly. Phil moved to stand beside him on the other side of the couch.

“So first, I’m checking to see if there are any marks such as any striae or stretch marks, a linea nigra a line that goes down the middle of the belly,” he explained as he began looking at Dan’s abdomen. “I also notice the belly button hasn’t popped out, that’s normal.”

“I’ve read if it pops out it goes back on its own, is that true for carriers?” Phil asked.

Dr. Vick nodded. “Sometimes surgery may be needed to correct it, but I don’t think that’s the case for Dan.”

To begin the exam, Dr. Vick picked up the measuring tape to measure Dan’s abdomen. He felt along the top of Dan’s stomach to find where the top of the womb is. When he found it, he looked for the pubic bone to measure it properly.

“Measurements look good. You’re where you’re supposed to be for thirty weeks,” Dr. Vick said as he marked it down on a form for Dan’s file and laid the measuring tape on the counter. “Do you any pain in your abdomen?”

Dan shook his head. “No.”

Dr. Vick nodded as he began to palpate Dan’s stomach. “As always I’m feeling first to check for any lumps or anything concerning. Then I’ll move on to check on where the baby is to check his position.”

“Did you get the scans we sent you?” Phil asked.

“I did,” Dr. Vick confirmed. “Everything looked good. He’s growing. He’s a very active baby, more active than any others I’ve seen. Was this scan for fun?”

“Yes,” Phil replied. “We thought it would be interesting and the soon-to-be grandparents enjoyed it.”

Dr. Vick started to feel Dan’s abdomen to find Cameron’s location. “Is he still just as active?”

“He’s more active,” Dan replied. “I think he head buts me sometimes because I feel something hit me and it’s not a foot.”

“Where do you feel it?” Dr. Vick asked.

Dan laid his hand on his lower abdomen. “Down here mostly. But I’ve also felt it in the sides.”

Dr. Vick nodded, finding Cameron’s head with one hand and his feet with the other. “He’s starting to move head down, which isn’t important with you since you’re having a cesarean. But I still would like to make sure he doesn’t go breech.”

“And if does?” Phil asked. 

“Depending on the type of the breech position, we’ll need to turn the baby in a safer position,” Dr. Vick answered.

“And how would you turn him?” Dan inquired.

Dr. Vick placed his hands around where Cameron was located. He lightly pulled on end and pushed on the other. “Like this with more force.”

“Does it hurt?” Dan asked, dreading the answer.

“It’s uncomfortable,” Dr. Vick admitted. “But I would only do it if he’s in an unsafe position. If I do deliver him breach, you would feel more pressure as I pull him out.”

Dan nodded.

Picking up the Doppler, Dr. Vick applied a small bit of gel. “Now that we’ve determined the position of the baby, we can put the Doppler here.” He pointed to a spot on Dan’s lower abdomen. “And we should hear the baby’s heartbeat.”

He pressed the wand of the Doppler gently on Dan’s stomach. The steady thump of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room, making Dan and Phil take an internal sigh of relief. 

“Sounds good, 140,” Dr. Vick noted. He handed the towel to Phil so he could wipe the gel off Dan’s stomach. Once he was done, he helped Dan to sit up.

“Well, at least you haven’t made me fly off the table,” Dan commented.

Dr. Vick made some notes in Dan’s files before he turned back to Dan and Phil. “Okay, so since you’re thirty weeks, we typically give the Pertussis vaccine to you and your partner.”

“What’s that?” Phil asked.

“The whooping cough vaccine,” Dr. Vick replied. “Whooping cough is dangerous for babies. It’s recommended you get vaccinated against it.”

“Would you recommend grandparents get it?” Dan asked.

“Definitely,” Dr. Vick said. “So, next week we’ll do that before your appointment.”

“Okay, can a GP give a vaccine? My mum will want to get one as she’ll be staying with us after he’s born to help,” Phil explained.

“Yes, they can.” Dr. Vick picked up Dan’s file. “So, as always, call me if you’re having problems, bleeding, notice the baby isn’t moving a lot or not moving, or you’re having severe pain. Any questions?”

Dan and Phil shook their heads. “No,” Dan verbalized.

“Alright then, see you next week. Take care.”

Phil helped Dan off the couch, headed out the door. They stopped by the desk, chatting with the girl at the desk who did the scheduling. Once they had an appointment scheduled for next week, Phil helped Dan into his coat. Once he had his coat on, he opened the door, holding it open for Dan.

“Are you hungry?” Phil asked as they waited for the lift.

Dan gave Phil his ‘are you serious?’ look. “Phil, you know the answer to that.”

“Of course,” Phil murmured.

The lift doors opened, Phil let Dan go on first before stepping on himself.

“Sorry, I’m tired, I’m hungry. My back hurts. My feet feel sore. Cameron is kicking my spleen and head butting my ribs.”

Phil winced sympathetically. “Okay, how about we get some takeaway and go home. After we eat, I can fix you a bath with some Epsom salts.”

Dan didn’t need to think twice. “Throw in a foot massage and some ice cream and you got a deal.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil wasn’t a fan of feet but for Dan, he would put it to the side. Since Dan became pregnant a foot massage became part of their evening routine. He had looked up how to do a foot massage during pregnancy. It helped him to know to avoid the ankle and where to massage.

“How does this feel?”

“Good,” Dan purred.

“I think I’ve spoiled you with this.”

“I am carrying your child,” Dan reminded him. “It’s a lot of work.”

Phil hummed, knowingly. He knew it was a lot of work. He saw how worn out Dan was at the end of the day. He would be asleep before ten, nine some nights.

“Is he moving?” Phil inquired.

“Yeah, he’s always moving,” Dan murmured, laying a hand on his stomach. He felt Cameron push against his hand.

“So next week, we have a meeting with Marianne, a meeting with Victoria at the BBC, Martyn wants to discuss some things for the Merch business, and…….”

“Can we not talk about work right now?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded. “We can.”

Dan sighed, letting his eyes drift closed. He felt tired just listening to the busy schedule they had coming up next week.

Dr. Vick had cautioned him on overworking himself this close to the end of his pregnancy. Dan didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize his health or Cameron’s health. He also didn’t want to do anything that would cause Cameron to be born sooner than January 8th.

They weren’t ready for him to come now.

“I know you’re worried about going into preterm labor with Cameron,” Phil soothed. “I can call Marianne and cancel. Or I can tell Martyn we’ll meet the following week.”

“Tell Martyn to wait,” Dan said. “Marianne said this meeting with her is urgent.”

Phil nodded, agreeing. “I’ll text him tomorrow.”

Dan yawned, making Phil pause. “Getting sleepy?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Dan yawned again, making Phil help him up from the sofa.

“Let’s get you to bed, so you can sleep.”

Dan didn’t argue. He knew he and Phil better be enjoying what was left of their silent nights. Come January, they would be very few and far between. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dan followed Phil to the BBC where they were meeting with Victoria. Phil stood at the door waiting for Dan even though they were running late. Once Dan was inside, Phil led him to the security desk where they scanned their employee badge.

“Hold it,” Dan called, leaning against the desk. “I need a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” Phil asked.

“I’m thirty-one weeks pregnant. I power walked from the taxi to the door. Give me a moment to catch my f***** breath!”

Phil nodded, knowing Dan’s mood swings were still present. The last place he wanted to cause a scene was the lobby of the BBC.

“Okay,” Dan said, standing straight up as well as he could with his belly and back pain.

He followed Phil into a lift. Phil pressed the eighth floor.

Once they stepped off the lift, Dan headed to the restroom. “I need the toilet, start without me.”

Phil nodded, heading on to the conference room they were meeting Victoria in. She looked up from her laptop when Phil entered. Before she could ask Phil informed her of Dan’s location.

“Dan’s in the restroom. He said to start without him.”

“As this meeting is about the Christmas show, we’ll wait on him,” Victoria stated.

“Sorry, we’re late. He’s been moving a little slow.”

“That’s alright.” Victoria and Phil made small talk while waiting for Dan.

When Dan walked into the conference room, pausing at the doorway, making Victoria ask if he was okay.

“I’m fine,” Dan breathed. “I’m fine.”

Phil pulled his chair out, helping him sit down. “Need anything?”

“I’m good,” Dan assured him.

Victoria started with discussing the Christmas show, adding in some of their plans for the first show in 2015. Phil opened his MacBook, reading off his notes. Dan listened, closing his eyes when he felt the baby kick hard.

He groaned, pushing back from the table. “I’ll be back,” he groaned.

When Dan left the room, Victoria continued. She knew Phil would tell Dan what they talked about.

“Do you know the latest on Dan’s project?” She asked.

“He’s starting working on it. He’s hoping to have it ready by February. All I know is it’s about cyber-bullying,” Phil explained.

Victoria nodded. “I know Ben mentioned in our meeting this morning that Dan did a good job presenting his project. I am a little concerned about him taking on very much this close to the end of his pregnancy.”

“And this isn’t the only project he has. We’ll be starting on one after the baby is born,” Phil said. “But I’ve been keeping an eye on him.”

Victoria nodded.

Dan returned to the room for them to finalize the plans for the Christmas show and to begin the plans for the first January show. When the meeting was finished, Phil packed away his MacBook and helped Dan out of the chair. Together they made their way to the lift. Dan leaned against the wall while they waited.

“Victoria asked about your project,” Phil informed him. “Do you think it’ll be ready in February?”

Dan nodded. “I should have had Cameron by then. We’re leaning towards, and don’t kill me, after we’ve come back from Playlist.”

Phil nodded. “Hopefully you’ll be recovered enough by then. I don’t you want to overdo it and messing up your c-section recovery.”

“I won’t,” Dan sighed. “I decided whatever the F I want today I’m doing it. If that means I have a Krispy Kreme donut before I’ve had lunch that’s what it means. If it means I hop in a disability scooter at Westfield, then that’s what it means.”

Phil nodded. “You’ve earned the right.”

After the meeting, they were going to Westfield to go baby shopping. They had a list of things they were going to look for. Dan had ordered a few things already, but Phil had brought up the idea of going to the shops to look for some of the things they needed. Phil thought Westfield would be a great place to start.

They ordered a taxi to take them to the shopping centre.

When they arrived, they started at the food court.

Phil thought it would be fun to vlog their day out, so he pulled the camera out of his bag.

“Hey guys, so Dan and I decided to go out shopping for baby things and I thought why not bring you with us.” He turned the camera around to face Dan. “Here’s Dan, don’t mind the grumpy face, somebody’s hungry.”

“You would be too if you had a tiny human inside you who demands to be feed constantly,” Dan said, following Phil inside.

“So Dan and I came to Westfield in Stratford, to go shopping for all things baby,” Phil said to the camera. Bringing it closer he added, “Wish us luck.”

Dan took the camera with him as he headed to Krispy Kreme. He got his donuts since he wanted some, along with some for Phil. He turned on the camera as he walked to Boots where Phil had gone.

“Phil went to Boots to pick up some things. I told him, ‘Phil, the baby wants donuts. This baby needs a donut.’ I bought three for me and three for Phil. Though I won’t guarantee I’ll eat all six of them myself. I’m not even feeling guilty about it. I just feel like a ravenous beast. I want to consume everything in sight.” 

He met Phil outside of Boots, sitting on a bench. Phil had suggested they sit down because of how far Dan had walked, figuring he would need a break to sit and eat before they continued shopping.

Phil picked up the camera as Dan took the first bite of the Nutella donut.

“Happy?” He asked.

Around the first bite, Dan said, “This is what’s it’s come to.”

Phil chuckled. “It’s come to this. I’ve had two of the six and Dan……” He panned the camera to the box, showing there was it empty.

“Don’t show the box, so they’ll see how many I’ve had,” Dan said, chuckling.

“Four, but he’s happy and I’m not complaining,” Phil told the camera.

Phil went back into Boots to get them something to drink. He came back with bottled water. He handed one to Dan.

“Ready?” He asked.

Dan nodded. Phil helped him up off the bench, throwing away the empty box.

“Where are we starting?” Phil asked, putting the bag from Boots in his rucksack.

“The Disney Store?” Dan suggested. 

Having an idea Dan was looking for, Phil agreed. They got on the lift and began their shopping.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil folded the new joggers Dan had bought when they went shopping. Some of the things they had bought for baby Cameron, other things they bought for Dan. He had picked up joggers plus other pieces of loungewear to wear now and after he had the baby. Phil had picked up a few things he needed, including a box of hair dye for himself from Boots.

Martyn was going to help him dye his hair since Phil was concerned about Dan breathing in the fumes while pregnant even if he wore a mask.

Dan had been researching things he would need after the c-section. He had made a list on his phone, checking off joggers and lounge pants.

The joggers folded, Phil took the clothes he had just got out of the dryer to his and Dan’s room.

When they got home, Phil started putting the things they had bought from Boots away first, then took the other bags to the bedroom. He put the clothes they had bought for Cameron in the nursery and the clothes Dan had bought for himself, he double-checked the size, trying on a few, and then put it in the wash.

Once Phil got the clothes in the wash, he fixed a bath for Dan with Epsom salts and candles.

He was tired when they got home from shopping. His feet were sore and tired. Phil had picked up some Epsom salts when he was in Boots, picking up different ones to try. He asked Dan if he wanted another Epsom salt bath. Dan didn’t even think twice before saying yes. Phil fixed the bath and then left Dan to relax and rest. They had eaten before they left Westfield, real food this time, so they didn’t need to fix dinner when they got home. Phil knew Dan would be tired when they got home and had suggested they get dinner before they left Westfield.

If they got hungry later, they could fix something to snack on.

With the laundry put away, Phil returned to the lounge to export the footage he got that day when they were shopping. He had just started editing the video when Dan entered the lounge.

“How was it?”

“It was bloody amazing,” Dan sighed.

He sat down on the sofa, leaning against Phil’s shoulder. Phil wrapped his arm around Dan, pulling him into his side.

“Hungry?”

“Do we have Cookie Dough ice cream?” Dan asked.

Phil paused, trying to remember if he had put it on the last grocery order. Then he remembered he had picked some up when he went to Tesco to get a few things they didn’t deliver.

“We do. Want some?”

Dan nodded.

“I’ll be back,” Phil murmured as he got up heading to the kitchen.

When he returned, he handed Dan his bowl of ice cream before sitting down on the sofa with his bowl.

“So I was thinking about doing a video on the expectations vs. reality in pregnancy,” Dan began. “Some people think pregnancy is glamorous and a piece of cake when it’s really hard.”

“Do you need my help?” Phil asked.

“Yes, because some it involves you. For example, one is asking you for something and you get it.”

Phil nodded. “I think I might do one from the partner’s perspective, giving tips and advice that Dad had given me when he called me after we told him and Mum you were pregnant.”

They discussed other video ideas, tossing some joint video ideas back and forth. They discussed the gaming channel, what games they wanted to play and games they planned on purchasing. Phil wanted to make sure they had everything for Cameron before they purchased a game, even though it would be a work-related investment. And that wasn’t the only thing they needed to purchase.

“We need to get to a new camera,” Phil murmured.

“What for? Dan asked. 

“I want to get another filming camera to have set up all the time in the gaming channel room. That way, we don’t have to search for it when we want to film.”

“I think it’s a good idea, maybe we should purchase another camera,” Dan suggested. “A camera that would be for pictures, one that has good quality, because knowing us, we’ll document Cameron’s life.”

“And grandparents will want pictures,” Phil added. “Since the camera is a work investment, we’ll buy the new cameras. Mum texted me. I think she’s gone crazy shopping for Cameron.”

“What did she buy?” Dan inquired.

“Bedding for the crib, clothes, blankets, toys, books, and a rucksack that can be used as a nappy bag, plus her, Dad, Martyn, and Cornelia went in and bought one those Doona car seats.”

“Is that the car seat that comes with wheels?”

Phil nodded. “Mum said it came in a variety of colors. They picked the black one for you because they thought you would like it better. She also told me Grandma bought more stuff.”

“Between your parents, your grandparents, my mum, Grandma and Popsie, and our friends, we’re going to have a lot of stuff.” Dan glanced around the lounge. “Where in the heck are we going to put it all?”

“We’ll find a space.”

“Phil, we’re limited on storage now,” Dan reminded him.

“We’ll find space,” Phil repeated. “We can always get a unit if we need to. Martyn said we can store stuff at the warehouse if we need to.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that. Unless I clear it all out when I’m nesting,” he noted.

Phil picked up his MacBook to check his email. Kathryn had forwarded the shipping information for the cot she and Nigel were purchasing. Phil read over the information, noticing it would be arriving in a few days.

“The cot will be delivered in a few days. According to the tracking, it should be in on Tuesday.”

“Are we going to set it up in our room or the nursery?” Dan asked.

“Well,” Phil began as he pulled up Amazon. “I’ve been doing research and what do you think about this?”

Dan leaned over to look at the screen. “A Snuzpod, is that like a bassinet?”

“It is,” Phil confirmed. “This part.” He pointed to the pod part. “Comes off, so we can carry it around the house and Cameron will have somewhere for us to lay him down and he’ll be safe.”

Dan took the MacBook, balancing it on his belly like he had been doing with anything he needed to hold if it wasn’t heavy, looking over the features of the Snuzpod.

“The bonus is it’s recommended for those who had a cesarean. One side comes down to allow us to have the pod right next to the bed. And when Cameron outgrows it, we can sell it or donate it.”

Dan nodded, as he handed Phil back his MacBook. “Let’s get it.”

Phil added it to his cart with some sheets. As he finalized the order, Dan checked it off the list of things they needed. He balanced his MacBook on his belly.

“Mum sent me an email with this,” Dan explained as pulled up the email, opening it, and clicking on the link. It was a Sleepyhead Deluxe pod.

“Multi-functional and multitasking, the Sleepyhead Deluxe is a safe and comfy spot where your baby can sleep, rest, co-sleep, play, and have tummy time,” Phil recited from the screen. “I’ve seen those. It will come in handy. We can use it when we’re working in here or in the office.”

“And he can use it until he’s eight months old. Mum said this would be a gift from her, Grandma, and Popsie. A friend of hers gave her a discount code for it. Mum also sent me an email to tell me the glider chair had been ordered. She’s sending it here.”

“We’re getting a lot of stuff for the baby done with the help of our parents and grandparents,” Phil stated. “I mean, we can afford to get everything ourselves, but…….”

“It would be tight,” Dan finished.

They had sat down to calculate the cost of purchasing everything. The amount had made both of them pale at the sight of the large number. Even with their income from the BBC and YouTube, it would be tight to cover the cost of what they needed for the baby and to pay the bills they already had. Plus, they needed to eat.

This was why they didn’t turn down the offer Kathryn and Nigel made to purchase the cot. Everything else including the car seat was just a gift to them. Karen had purchased a few things on top of the glider. Adrian had purchased a baby wrap, which would allow Dan or Phil to put the baby in. Karen explained it used for something was called baby-wearing.

Putting their MacBooks away, Phil helped Dan off of the sofa.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep on the sofa.”

Dan nodded, agreeing. He yawned as he and Phil headed down to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Once they were done, they headed to the bedroom. Within minutes of getting in the bed, Dan was asleep.

Phil smiled as he tucked the duvet around Dan, kissing his forehead. “Good night, Dan. I love you,” he whispered.

He bent down and whispered, “Good night Cameron, Papa loves you.” He patted Dan’s stomach before climbing on his side, and going to sleep, dreaming of the future. For the first time since Dan found out he was pregnant, Phil slept through the night without a nightmare.

All was right in the world. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Dan and Phil were getting ready to go to a meeting at Google when Dan stopped suddenly. He grabbed hold of the door to his and Phil’s room, bending slightly over.

“Ow,” Dan hissed.

“What’s wrong?” Phil asked.

Dan winced, laying his hand on his abdomen. “I think that was a contraction.”

“What!” Phil exclaimed. As much as he tried to remain calm, he was panicked. This is too early for Cameron to be born.

“I’ve been getting these cramps.”

“For how long?” Phil asked, hoping he sounded calm even though he didn’t feel calm.

“Off and on all day,” Dan groaned. “They hurt. I think it’s a contraction.”

Trying to hide how much he was panicking, he calmly asked, “Do we need to go to the hospital?”

Dan shook his head. “Call Dr. Vick first,” he breathed.

Phil pulled out his phone, searching for Dr. Vick’s contact number. He added it after Dan found out he was pregnant in case he needed it.

“Hello?”

“Hi Dr. Vick, this is Phil Lester, Dan Howell’s partner,” Phil said. “He’s having contractions and we’re wondering if we need to come in?”

There was a pause until Dr. Vick asked, “How far apart are they?”

“They lasted only thirty seconds,” Dan replied. “They’ve been coming and going all day.”

“Did your abdomen tense for several seconds?”

Dan glanced at Phil as he looked at him. “Yes, is something wrong?” 

“Sounds like Braxton Hicks,” Dr. Vick replied. “Braxton Hicks contractions are when your abdomen tightens for 30 seconds several times a day. The abdomen also hardens, remaining tense for several seconds.”

Dan winced. “Are you having another one?” Phil asked. He nodded.

Phil reached over, pulling Dan’s shirt up to expose his belly. He pressed on different areas, feeling it tensing and hardening. After about thirty seconds, he felt Dan’s abdomen again, this time it felt soft and normal.

“He just had another one, his abdomen felt tense and hard for about thirty seconds. It was normal when I checked again.”

“Braxton Hicks contractions are often mistaken for real labor. You’re not the first patient and partner to call me about this. Unlike real labor, Braxton Hicks contractions don’t get longer or stronger, they don’t start to come more often, they tend to be short and they come and go, like what you’re describing. They aren’t painful.”

“Then why does it hurt?” Dan asked.

“Cameron is probably getting more active, kicking and hitting some of your organs,” Dr. Vick explained. “Phil, I’m advising you to keep a closer eye on Dan. Cameron might decide he wants out sooner than we plan.”

“Okay,” Phil murmured.

“Call me if something changes. I’ll see you next week for your appointment.”

“Thanks, Dr. Vick.”

When they got off the phone, Phil reach over and started rubbing Dan’s abdomen.

“It’s getting closer,” Dan whispered.

Phil nodded. “It’s hard to believe he’ll be here in a few short weeks.”

Dan sighed. “I know I’m looking forward to the end of the pregnancy. To be able to go to the bathroom and be able to see what I’m doing. To look down and be able to see my feet without needing a mirror to see if I’m wearing shoes and have the right ones on the right feet.”

Phil hummed, rubbing Dan’s stomach. He felt Cameron kick under his hand.

“I thought for a moment there, we would be heading to the hospital. I know if I called Mum and told her you were having the baby, she and Dad would be on the next flight to London. They’re thinking about coming to London after the New Year and stay with Martyn so they would be here if you were to go into labor.”

“I hope I don’t,” Dan said, softly. “It’s not that I’m afraid of the procedure or anything, but I’m afraid of the pain. I’ve seen enough labor and delivery videos that I hope he waits until the 10th of January to come out when I’m scheduled for the c-section.”

Phil nodded, feeling some tense start to grow in Dan’s abdomen. He needed to do something to help Dan relax.

“Want me to massage your belly?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded.

Phil stood up, helping Dan off of the sofa, leading him to their bedroom.

Once in their bedroom, Phil helped Dan to lie on the bed, leaning back against the wedge pillows. Once Dan was comfortable, Phil pulled up Dan’s shirt. He collected the lotion he had been using. He squirted out some in his hands, rubbing them together to warm the lotion.

After he finished Phil, laid his hands on Dan’s stomach starting the massage. He could feel Cameron move under his hand.

Dan had started to sleep with a wedge pillow, similar to one people with acid reflex sleep with. Phil uses two of them when he would massage Dan’s belly. Dr. Vick said it was okay as long as he didn’t use a lot of pressure.

“You would tell me if you feel contractions right?” Phil asked.

Dan opened one eye, looking right at him. “You would be the first person I would tell.”

Phil nodded, continuing his massage. Phil noticed when he massaged Dan’s stomach, not only did it relaxed the baby, but it also relaxed Dan. Phil did this often to help Dan and Cameron to sleep.

“Phil,” Dan said, softly.

“Yeah?”

“I love you,” Dan murmured.

Phil leaned over, pressing his lips against Dan’s. “I love you too,” He whispered.

Then he bent down and kissed Dan’s belly. “I love you too, little one. We can’t wait to meet you, but you need to stay in there for a little bit more.”

Phil hoped Cameron would listen to his Papa and wait until he was due to come out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Phil jerked up suddenly, sitting up in bed. He looked around his dark bedroom until his hand settled on his phone. He picked it up and pressed the home button. The phone came to life, telling him it was three in the morning. He turned on the flashlight, directing it to his left.

Dan was asleep beside him, snoring softly. He shined the light from his phone down to Dan’s stomach, seeing the still present and still growing baby bump.

He released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, turning off the flashlight and turning on the lamp on his nightstand instead.

“Wha is it’s?” Dan asked, sleepily.

“I had a bad dream. You went somewhere on your own and I stayed here. I got a call from the hospital telling me you had been hit by a car. You and Cameron didn’t survive,” Phil said, his voice wavering towards the end.

Dan reached over, taking Phil’s hand. “Phil, I’m here. I’m okay. Cameron’s fine, he’s still in here,” Dan assured him, laying Phil’s hand on his belly. “Feel him move? He’s okay.”

Phil nodded, leaning down to kiss Dan first before bending down to kiss Dan’s growing bump.

“It was just so real,” he murmured.

“It’s been a while since you had a nightmare relating to the pregnancy unless you have and haven’t told me,” Dan said, his tone had a hint of warning in it.

Phil shook his head. “This was the first one I had in a while. My dreams had been about raising Cameron and our future.”

Dan nodded. “Let’s get some sleep,” He whispered.

Phil nodded, agreeing. He turned the lamp off, laying back down, turning over to spoon Dan. Usually, Dan was the big spoon, but with his belly, Phil had taken over being the big spoon. He only was the big spoon if Dan was sick or didn’t feel well.

Pressing a kiss to Dan’s forehead, Phil sighed going back to sleep, dreaming of the future with his son and boyfriend, who one day he would make his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All medical information came from Google searches and research.


End file.
